mormon

The term "Mormon" is a reference to the Book of Mormon.^[1] The book is believed by LDS adherents to be a historical record of God's dealings with three of the civilizations in the Americas from approximately 2700 BC through 420 AD, written by their prophets and followers of Jesus Christ. The book contains the teachings of Jesus Christ to the people in the Americas as well as recounting Christ's personal ministry among the people of Nephi after hisresurrection.[1] Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon is another scriptural witness of Jesus Christ that is comparable to the Bible[2], which they also believe to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.^[2] The book gets its name from Mormon, the prophet who, according to the text, abridged the record during the 4th century.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one of the earliest published usages of the term "Mormon" to describe believers in the Book of Mormon was in 1833 by the Louisville (Kentucky) Daily Herald in an article, "The Mormons and the Anti-Mormons".^[3]