Deseret

Deseret is a term originally derived from the Book of Mormon, the distinctive holy text of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon groups. According to the Book of Mormon, "deseret" meant "honeybee" in the language of the Jaredites, a group dispersed at the time of the Tower of Babel (see Ether 2:3 ).

"Deseret" was a proposed name for the State of Utah. Brigham Young, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and also governor of the Utah Territory from 1850 to 1858, favored the name as a symbol of Industry. Like the honeybee, Young thought his followers should be productive and self-sufficient.

The U.S. federal government ultimately rejected the name "Deseret" because of its religious significance and its unfortunate semblance to the English word "desert." The territory was instead admitted to the union in 1896 as "Utah," a name derived from the resident Ute Indians. However, some vestiges of the name survive. For example, the state symbol of Utah is a beehive, an emblem also found on Utah's flag. The state nickname is furthermore the "Beehive State," even though beehives aren't particularly notable in Utah.

Various businesses also use "Deseret" or "Beehive" as part of their name, particularly those that have connections to the LDS Church. The most prominent example is the odd name of the Deseret Morning News, Utah's second-largest daily newspaper. An anachronistic name, the newspaper was established when the area was called Deseret Territory.

See also: Deseret alphabet, State of Deseret,