Chrysti the Wordsmith is a radio program about word origins and meanings, produced at KGLT in Bozeman, Montana. The two-minute show is written and presented by Chrysti Smith, who is also known as Chrysti the Wordsmith.
Contents
Radio program
The program began in 1990 and about 3,000 episodes have been recorded. It appears five days per week on some stations. It is carried by KGLT, Yellowstone Public Radio, as well as on the Armed Forces Network. The program is distributed by PRX to other stations.
Words covered include those with origins in antiquity such as titanium, and modern words, such as squeaky clean and chillax.
Philip Gaines, an English professor at Montana State University, is the script editor for the program.
Chrysti Smith
Smith was born c. 1960 to Carol Gorton Smith and Edward "Bud" Smith. She was raised on a farm in northeastern Montana, near Poplar. She lived in Texas for a few years before returning to Montana to attend Montana State University. She graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology/Anthropology. At MSU she took a class on radio production and served an apprenticeship at KGLT before starting her radio program. She is a professional narrator working in television, documentary film, public service announcements, and radio advertisements.
She has published two books: