Etymology Map
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Mawkish

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means sentimental in a feeble or sickly way

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

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

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.