mawkish

Where does the word "mawkish" come from? It comes from Old Norse maðkr, passing through Middle English before entering English (1660s).

Mawkish’s story begins in Old Norse: maðkr meant “maggot.” A maggot. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as mawke. A maggot. It reached English by 1660s as mawkish. First 'sickly, inclined to nausea', as if full of maggots; later 'sickly sentimental'. Today, mawkish means sentimental in a feeble or sickly way.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval maðkr "maggot", a maggot.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1300s mawke "maggot", a maggot.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1660s mawkish "sickly sentimental", first 'sickly, inclined to nausea', as if full of maggots; later 'sickly sentimental'.