maudlin
pronunciation
How to pronounce maudlin in British English:
UK [ˈmɔ:dlɪn]
How to pronounce maudlin in American English:
US [ˈmɔdlɪn]
-
- Adjective:
- effusively or insincerely emotional
Word Origin
- maudlin
- maudlin: [16] Maudlin represents a gradual erosion of the pronunciation of Magdalen (exhibited also in the case of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges that have taken that name). The word originated as the name given to a woman called Mary who came from Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, and who according to the Bible was present at Christ’s crucifixion and was the first to meet him after he had risen from the dead. In the Middle Ages she was generally represented in paintings as crying, and so maudlin came to be used for ‘oversentimental’.
- maudlin (adj.)
- c. 1600, "tearful," from Middle English fem. proper name Maudelen (early 14c.), from Magdalene (Old French Madelaine), woman's name, originally surname of Mary the repentant sinner forgiven by Jesus in Luke vii:37 (see Magdalene). In paintings, she often was shown weeping as a sign of repentance. Meaning "characterized by tearful sentimentality" is recorded by 1630s.
Example
- 1. Oh claire , please , don 't get maudlin on me .