Conk

Day 36: As a collector of words, I'm not sure how "conk" eluded me until I was well past fifty, at least insofar as it refers to a bracket/shelf fungus. "A conk on the head" was part of my lexicon, as was the game of "conkers," but both imply a certain degree of injury to one's person. How it could apply to a fungus was beyond me, so I consulted Webster's Third New International, the three-volume reference which holds my desk to the floor. Webster, bless his little heart, suggests that "conk" was probably derived from "conch" (the shell), although he expresses some doubt about the validity of that etymology. It makes sense, certainly, but not all derivations are as simple as they appear on the surface. That said, I have never been conked by a conk, nor have I seen a conk employed in conkers. Even so, the word has conquered my vocabulary in such a fashion that I never pass one without mentally saying, "Conk!" "Bracket" just doesn't have the same ring.