means the act of yielding to a desire or pleasure, especially when it's a little more than you strictly need or should have.

from From Latin 'indulgere,' to be lenient or give free rein to — a verb of soft permission. It entered English by way of the medieval Church, where an 'indulgence' was a remission of penance for sin, famously bought and sold until the practice helped spark the Reformation. From pardoning the soul, the word drifted to pampering the self, so that today's indulgence is less about absolution and more about that second slice of cake.