Mormon, a member of any of several denominations and sects, the largest
of which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that trace their
origins to a religion founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in about
1830. The religion these churches practice is often referred to as Mormonism.
Mormon, Book of, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the
Bible, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon
churches. First published in 1830 in Palmyra, N.Y., it was thereafter widely
reprinted and translated. Mormons hold that it is a divinely inspired work
revealed to and translated by the founder of their religion, Joseph Smith.
Encyclopædia Britannica