diff --git a/src/macro.c b/src/macro.c
index ae6076b2..d83cad73 100644
--- a/src/macro.c
+++ b/src/macro.c
@@ -278,6 +278,8 @@ macroexpand(pic_state *pic, pic_value expr, struct pic_senv *senv)
       else if (tag == pic->sDEFINE_SYNTAX) {
 	pic_value var, val;
 	struct pic_proc *proc;
+        pic_sym uniq;
+        struct pic_macro *mac;
 
 	if (pic_length(pic, expr) != 3) {
 	  pic_error(pic, "syntax error");
@@ -285,8 +287,13 @@ macroexpand(pic_state *pic, pic_value expr, struct pic_senv *senv)
 
 	var = pic_cadr(pic, expr);
 	if (! pic_sym_p(var)) {
-	  pic_error(pic, "syntax error");
+	  var = macroexpand(pic, var, senv);
 	}
+        if (! pic_sym_p(var)) {
+          pic_error(pic, "binding to non-symbol object");
+        }
+        uniq = pic_gensym(pic, pic_sym(var));
+        xh_put_int(senv->name, pic_sym(var), uniq);
 
 	val = pic_cadr(pic, pic_cdr(pic, expr));
 	proc = pic_compile(pic, val);
@@ -300,7 +307,9 @@ macroexpand(pic_state *pic, pic_value expr, struct pic_senv *senv)
 	  abort();
 	}
 	assert(pic_proc_p(v));
-	defsyntax(pic, pic_sym(var), pic_proc_ptr(v), senv);
+
+        mac = macro_new(pic, pic_proc_ptr(v), senv);
+        xh_put_int(pic->macros, uniq, (long)mac);
 
 	pic_gc_arena_restore(pic, ai);
 	return pic_none_value();