Definition

Noun: 1. The hard, shiny, dark brown seed of the horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum), which is not edible. It is typically round and contained within a spiky green husk.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The children collected conkers from beneath the horse chestnut tree.
  • A traditional autumn game involves trying to break an opponent's conker by striking it with your own.
  • The spiky case splits open to reveal a smooth, brown conker inside.

Advanced Usage

• "Conker season": Refers to the autumn period when horse chestnut seeds fall and are collected.
  • Conker season is a highlight of the school year for many British children.
• Used attributively (like an adjective) to describe things related to these seeds.
  • We played a conker tournament.

Variants and Related Words

• Horse chestnut: The tree that produces conkers. Also used informally to refer to the seed itself.
• Conkers: The name of the traditional children's game played with the seeds on strings.

Synonyms

• Horse chestnut seed: The more formal, descriptive term.
• Buckeye: The North American term for the similar, related seed of other species.

Notes

• The word "conker" is primarily used in British English. The game "conkers" is a well-known British tradition.
• Conkers are toxic and should not be eaten. They are distinct from the edible sweet chestnuts.

Noun

1. the inedible nutlike seed of the horse chestnut