Lewis & Short

indulgĕo, si, tum, 2, v. n. and a. [etym. dub.; cf. dulcis], to be courteous or complaisant; to be kind, tender, indulgent to; to be pleased with or inclined to, to give one’s self up to, yield to, indulge in a thing (as joy or grief); to concede, grant, allow.

  1. I. V. n. (class.); constr. with the dat.
    1. A. In gen.: Aeduorum civitati Caesar praecipue indulserat, Caes. B. G. 1, 10; 7, 40: sic sibi indulsit, ut, etc., indulged himself so, took such liberties, Nep. Lys. 1, 3: indulgebat sibi liberalius, quam, ut, etc., id. Chabr. 3: irae, Liv. 3, 53, 7: indulgent sibi latius ipsi, Juv. 14, 234: ipsa sibi imbecillitas indulget, Cic. Tusc. 4, 18, 42: indulgent consules legionum ardori, Liv. 9, 43, 19: dolori, Nep. Reg. 1: genio, Pers. 5, 151: amori, Plin. Ep. 1, 14, 10: precibus, id. ib. 4, 15, 11: gaudio, id. ib. 5, 15, 1: desiderio alicujus, id. ib. 10, 34, 1: odio, Liv. 40, 5, 5: lacrimis, Ov. M. 9, 142: animo, to give way to passion or to anger, id. ib. 12, 598: regno, to delight in, Luc. 7, 54: ordinibus, give room to, set apart, Verg. G. 2, 277.
          1. (β) With acc. of the person (ante-class. and poet.): eri, qui nos tantopere indulgent, Afran. ap. Non. 502, 11 (Fragm. Com. v. 390 Rib.): te indulgebant, Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 34; id. Eun. 2, 1, 16.
            Pass.: animus indulgeri potuisset, be pleased, Gell. praef. 1.
    2. B. Esp., to give one’s self up to, to be given or addicted to, to indulge in: veteres amicitias spernere, indulgere novis, Cic. Lael. 15, 54: labori, Verg. A. 6, 135: theatris, Ov. R. Am. 751: eloquentiae, Quint. 10, 1, 84: somno, Tac. A. 16, 19.
      Pass. impers.: nihil relicturus, si aviditati indulgeretur, quod in aerarium referret, Liv. 45, 35, 6: sero petentibus non indulgebitur, Gai. Inst. 4, 164.
  2. II. V. a., to concede, allow, grant, permit, give, bestow as a favor, confer (post- Aug.): alicui usum pecuniae, Suet. Aug. 41: ornamenta consularia procuratoribus, id. Claud. 24: damnatis arbitrium mortis, id. Dom. 11: insignia triumphi indulsit Caesar, Tac. A. 11, 20: patientiam flagello, i. e. to submit to patiently, Mart. 1, 105, 3: nil animis in corpora juris natura indulget, grants no power, Juv. 2, 140: basia plectro, id. 6, 384: si forte indulsit cura soporem, id. 13, 217: veniam pueris, to make allowance for, id. 8, 168.
          1. (β) With inf. (poet.): incolere templa, Sil. 14, 672.
            Pass.: qui jam nunc sanguinem meum sibi indulgeri aequum censet, Liv. 40, 15, 16: rerum ipsa natura in eo quod indulsisse homini videtur, etc., Quint. 12, 1, 2: abolitio reorum, quae publice indulgetur, is granted, Dig. 48, 16, 17.
    1. B. Se alicui, in mal. part., Juv. 2, 165 al.
      Hence, indulgens, entis, P. a.
    1. A. Indulgent, kind, or tender to one, fond of one; constr. with dat., or in with acc. (class.).
          1. (α) With dat.: obsequium peccatis indulgens praecipitem amicum ferri sinit, Cic. Lael. 24, 89.
          2. (β) With in and acc.: civitas minime in captivos indulgens, Liv. 22, 61, 1.
          3. (γ) Absol.: quo ipsum nomen amantius, indulgentiusque maternum, hoc illius matris singulare scelus, Cic. Clu. 5, 12: ministri irarum, Liv. 24, 25, 9.
    2. B. Addicted to: aleae indulgens, addicted to dicing, Suet. Aug. 70.
    3. C. In pass., fondly loved: fili, indulgentissime adulescens, Ps.-Quint. Decl. 10, 13.
      Adv.: indulgenter, indulgently, kindly, tenderly: nimis indulgenter loqui, Cic. Att. 9, 9, 2: bestiae multa faciunt indulgenter, id. Fin. 2, 33, 109.
      Comp.: dii alios indulgentius tractant, Sen. Ben. 4, 32.
      Sup.: indulgentissime, Sen. Cons. ad Helv. 5.