Building material inventor left half abandoned (6)
I believe the answer is:
wattle
'building material' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'inventor left half abandoned' is the wordplay.
'inventor' becomes 'Watt' (Scottish inventor James Watt).
'left half' indicates taking half.
'abandoned' becomes 'left' (leave can mean to abandon).
'left' with half the letters taken is 'le'.
'watt'+'le'='WATTLE'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for wattle that I've seen before include "twigs" , "Loose skin on cockerel's throat" , "(Turkey's) loose flesh" , "Loose skin on neck of bird - ____ and daub" , "Turkey's dangly bit" .)