indulge
part of speech
verb (indulge, indulges, indulged, indulging); noun «indulgence»
meaning for a pupil
1) To let yourself do or have something you enjoy, especially as a treat: indulge in chocolate. tree →
2) To let someone have whatever they want, even when it's not good for them: to indulge a child. tree →
3) To allow and go along with someone's interest or wish: indulge his curiosity. tree →
4) (church, history) An «indulgence» in the medieval Catholic Church was a release from punishment for sin; selling them was one cause of the Reformation. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: It means to give in to or love using something, here the tongue. Interpretation: Proverbs teaches that speech has great power for good or harm, and people receive the results of their words. In the primary lessons: In everyday life, «indulge» is about treats, cake and spoiling; in PSHE about healthy balance. In history lessons, Martin Luther in 1517 protested against the sale of indulgences. Phrases: indulge in, indulge yourself, indulge a whim, indulge someone.
examples
- Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Writings PRO.18.21, JPS 1917) tree →
- On my birthday I indulged in a huge slice of cake. tree →
- Grandma indulges us with sweets when we visit. tree →
- Go on, indulge yourself — you've earned it. tree →
- Mum indulged my curiosity and let me take the clock apart. tree →
- Don't indulge the puppy every time it begs. tree →
- Martin Luther protested against the selling of indulgences. tree →
- Rudy, as usual, had plenty of courage, and indulged in pleasant thoughts of the favorable answer he should receive that evening. tree →
note
Often «indulge in» + something. Adjective «indulgent» (too kind, spoiling). Indulging sometimes is fine; too much can be unhealthy. Spelling: i-n-d-u-l-g-e.
In the corpora
- Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «indulge» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.