maudlin
/ˈmɔːd.lɪn/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Forms maudlins Maudling Maulding
- noun (obsolete, Christianity) The Magdalene; Mary Magdalene.
- noun (historical) Either of two aromatic plants, costmary or sweet yarrow.
- noun (obsolete) A Magdalene house; a brothel.
- adjective Affectionate or sentimental in an effusive, tearful, or foolish manner, especially because of drunkenness.
- adjective Extravagantly or excessively sentimental; mawkish, self-pitying.
- adjective (obsolete) Tearful, lachrymose.
- proper noun A surname originating as a matronymic.
Synonyms
mushy sappy schmaltzy drippy soupy slushy Adrian Quist adrip aled up all mops and brooms arseholed a sheet in the wind a sheet in the wind's eye bedrunken befuddled beliquored besotted besotten bevvied bibacious bathetic hokey mawkish kitschy schmalzy sentimental soppy
Etymology
From Middle English Maudelen, a dialectal form of Mary Magdalene (typically depicted weeping), from Old French Madelaine (whence Madeleine), from Late Latin Magdalena (see Magdalena, Magdalene, and Maudlin).
English surname, from Middle English Maudeleyn. Doublet of Madeleine, Magdalen, Magdalena, and Magdalene.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Tearful; easily moved to tears; exciting to tears; excessively sentimental; weak and silly. "Maudlin eyes." Dryden. "Maudlin eloquence." Roscommon. "A maudlin poetess." Pope. "Maudlin crowd." Southey.
- adjective Drunk, or somewhat drunk; fuddled; given to drunkenness.
- noun An aromatic composite herb, the costmary; also, the South European Achillea Ageratum, a kind of yarrow.
Etymology [From Maudlin, a contr. of Magdalen, OE. Maudeleyne, who is drawn by painters with eyes swelled and red with weeping.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “maudlin”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details