Terminology
The word "Mormons" most often refers to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because of their belief in the Book of Mormon, though members often refer to themselves as Latter-day Saints or sometimes just Saints. The term has been embraced by most adherents of Mormonism, most notably Mormon fundamentalists, while other Latter Day Saint denominations, such as the Community of Christ, have rejected it. Both LDS Church members (or Latter-day Saints) and members of fundamentalist groups commonly use the word Mormon in reference to themselves. The LDS Church, however, disagrees with this self-characterization, and encourages the use of the word Mormon only in reference to LDS Church members. Church leaders also encourage members to use the church's full name to emphasize its focus on Jesus Christ.
The word Mormon is often associated with polygamy (or plural marriage), which was a distinguishing practice of many early Mormons; however it was renounced by the LDS Church in 1890, and discontinued over the next 15 years. Today, polygamy is practiced only by fundamentalist groups that have broken with the LDS Church.
Read more about this topic: Mormons