411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Burned-Over District
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Burned-over district
Alternative forms
burned-over district
Etymology
Coined by Charles Grandison Finney, who in his 1876 book Autobiography of Charles G. Finney referred to a "burnt district" to denote an area in central and western New York State during the Second Great Awakening. He felt that the area had been so heavily evangelized as to have no "fuel" (unconverted population) left over to "burn" (convert).
Proper noun
Burned-Over District
A nickname for portions of Western New York State, where there was much religious fervor during the Second Great Awakening.
en New York, USA