8 hours ago, Bill W said:

The origin of the word Maudlin is from the name of Mary Magdalena, who in paintings was often shown weeping as she ask Jesus to be forgiven for her sins.  She was described as overly sentimental and frequently engaged in cry-fests. 

Both Oxford University and Cambridge University have Colleges named after Saint Mary Magdalene, although Oxford drops the "e" at the end of Magdalene. To this day, pronunciation at both universities follows the late medieval English pronunciation of Magdalene as in the adjective maudlin, "MAWD-lin".