diff --git a/mesonbuild/build.py b/mesonbuild/build.py
index 093ab8fdf..d51e2e318 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/build.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/build.py
@@ -114,9 +114,6 @@ class Build:
         self.environment = environment
         self.projects = {}
         self.targets = OrderedDict()
-        # Coredata holds the state. This is just here for convenience.
-        self.compilers = environment.coredata.compilers
-        self.cross_compilers = environment.coredata.cross_compilers
         self.global_args = {}
         self.projects_args = {}
         self.global_link_args = {}
@@ -149,10 +146,6 @@ class Build:
     def copy(self):
         other = Build(self.environment)
         for k, v in self.__dict__.items():
-            if k in ['compilers', 'cross_compilers']:
-                # These alias coredata's fields of the same name, and must not
-                # become copies.
-                continue
             if isinstance(v, (list, dict, set, OrderedDict)):
                 other.__dict__[k] = v.copy()
             else:
diff --git a/mesonbuild/environment.py b/mesonbuild/environment.py
index e638f3112..1ccdf98eb 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/environment.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/environment.py
@@ -411,8 +411,8 @@ class Environment:
         # target machine.)
         machines = PerThreeMachineDefaultable()
 
-        # Similar to coredata.compilers and build.compilers, but lower level in
-        # that there is no meta data, only names/paths.
+        # Similar to coredata.compilers, but lower level in that there is no
+        # meta data, only names/paths.
         binaries = PerMachineDefaultable()
 
         # Misc other properties about each machine.
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreter.py b/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
index 766a22f72..ea99a43fd 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
@@ -1824,9 +1824,9 @@ class MesonMain(InterpreterObject):
         if not isinstance(native, bool):
             raise InterpreterException('Type of "native" must be a boolean.')
         if native:
-            clist = self.build.compilers
+            clist = self.interpreter.coredata.compilers
         else:
-            clist = self.build.cross_compilers
+            clist = self.interpreter.coredata.cross_compilers
         if cname in clist:
             return CompilerHolder(clist[cname], self.build.environment, self.interpreter.subproject)
         raise InterpreterException('Tried to access compiler for unspecified language "%s".' % cname)
@@ -2208,7 +2208,7 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase):
     def check_cross_stdlibs(self):
         if self.build.environment.is_cross_build():
             props = self.build.environment.properties.host
-            for l in self.build.cross_compilers.keys():
+            for l in self.coredata.cross_compilers.keys():
                 try:
                     di = mesonlib.stringlistify(props.get_stdlib(l))
                     if len(di) != 2:
@@ -3857,7 +3857,7 @@ different subdirectory.
             self.print_extra_warnings()
 
     def print_extra_warnings(self):
-        for c in self.build.compilers.values():
+        for c in self.coredata.compilers.values():
             if c.get_id() == 'clang':
                 self.check_clang_asan_lundef()
                 break
@@ -4074,7 +4074,7 @@ This will become a hard error in the future.''', location=self.current_node)
     def get_used_languages(self, target):
         result = {}
         for i in target.sources:
-            for lang, c in self.build.compilers.items():
+            for lang, c in self.coredata.compilers.items():
                 if c.can_compile(i):
                     result[lang] = True
                     break