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Glite Dictionary
materialman

materialman

1 8.7
A person or company that supplies materials for building work
  • noun
  • /məˈtɪəriəlˌmæn/
  • Jargon
: proveedor de materiales
  • If the builder does not pay, the materialman can file a lien against the property.

Examples

  • The materialman delivered the lumber to the construction site early in the morning.

  • Several materialmen attended the meeting to discuss supply contracts for the new project.

  • The materialman delivered the supplies on time.

  • Many materialmen are struggling due to supply chain issues.

  • The materialman provided all the necessary materials for the new office building.

  • When construction began, the materialman was responsible for ensuring that all supplies were delivered on schedule.

  • Before starting the renovations, the contractor met with the materialman to finalize the list of required materials.

Surface Forms

materialman singular
materialmen plural

Morphology

materialman = material + man (transparent) = material + man

The meaning is directly compositional: 'material' + 'man' yields a person who supplies materials, so learners can infer it from the components.

Etymology

Materialman is a simple combination of material ('building supplies') and man ('person'), so it names someone who brings or sells the things used to build a house or other project. That's why, in law, a materialman can make a legal claim on the building if they are not paid.