diff --git a/adler32.c b/adler32.c
index cfacc88cde32cf1832fd2083638383280f5d9baa..3eafddf88fd16c8d6f3efa8e856e633d8d2cde11 100644
--- a/adler32.c
+++ b/adler32.c
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@
 
 #include "zutil.h"
 
-#define local static
-
 local uLong adler32_combine_ OF((uLong adler1, uLong adler2, z_off64_t len2));
 
 #define BASE 65521U     /* largest prime smaller than 65536 */
diff --git a/crc32.c b/crc32.c
index d49f39c4e1b5d5b04fcb83d32f3f51b62945f858..d4efea3ba34ba6966d646e931ce7691320eb007a 100644
--- a/crc32.c
+++ b/crc32.c
@@ -30,8 +30,6 @@
 
 #include "zutil.h"      /* for STDC and FAR definitions */
 
-#define local static
-
 /* Definitions for doing the crc four data bytes at a time. */
 #if !defined(NOBYFOUR) && defined(Z_U4)
 #  define BYFOUR
diff --git a/gzguts.h b/gzguts.h
index bb62175199faa9de9af7b4f3173edfa3efee4097..4f83d6d1dd33d9b59a595fe01950739906657651 100644
--- a/gzguts.h
+++ b/gzguts.h
@@ -114,7 +114,9 @@
 #ifndef local
 #  define local static
 #endif
-/* compile with -Dlocal if your debugger can't find static symbols */
+/* since "static" is used to mean two completely different things in C, we
+   define "local" for the non-static meaning of "static", for readability
+   (compile with -Dlocal if your debugger can't find static symbols) */
 
 /* gz* functions always use library allocation functions */
 #ifndef STDC
diff --git a/zutil.h b/zutil.h
index 9441a1e72382112add7b298152820e0717f253af..96cc90f155e0c4d0a50cca96fd4cf27b669fd9b1 100644
--- a/zutil.h
+++ b/zutil.h
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@
 #ifndef local
 #  define local static
 #endif
-/* compile with -Dlocal if your debugger can't find static symbols */
+/* since "static" is used to mean two completely different things in C, we
+   define "local" for the non-static meaning of "static", for readability
+   (compile with -Dlocal if your debugger can't find static symbols) */
 
 typedef unsigned char  uch;
 typedef uch FAR uchf;