diff --git a/src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/descriptor.c b/src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/descriptor.c
index a29f530327..da3291baca 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/descriptor.c
+++ b/src/interfaces/ecpg/preproc/descriptor.c
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ ECPGnumeric_lvalue(char *name)
 static struct descriptor *descriptors;
 
 void
-add_descriptor(char *name, char *connection)
+add_descriptor(char *name, char *conn_str)
 {
 	struct descriptor *new;
 
@@ -85,18 +85,18 @@ add_descriptor(char *name, char *connection)
 	new->next = descriptors;
 	new->name = mm_alloc(strlen(name) + 1);
 	strcpy(new->name, name);
-	if (connection)
+	if (conn_str)
 	{
-		new->connection = mm_alloc(strlen(connection) + 1);
-		strcpy(new->connection, connection);
+		new->connection = mm_alloc(strlen(conn_str) + 1);
+		strcpy(new->connection, conn_str);
 	}
 	else
-		new->connection = connection;
+		new->connection = conn_str;
 	descriptors = new;
 }
 
 void
-drop_descriptor(char *name, char *connection)
+drop_descriptor(char *name, char *conn_str)
 {
 	struct descriptor *i;
 	struct descriptor **lastptr = &descriptors;
@@ -108,9 +108,9 @@ drop_descriptor(char *name, char *connection)
 	{
 		if (strcmp(name, i->name) == 0)
 		{
-			if ((!connection && !i->connection)
-				|| (connection && i->connection
-					&& strcmp(connection, i->connection) == 0))
+			if ((!conn_str && !i->connection)
+				|| (conn_str && i->connection
+					&& strcmp(conn_str, i->connection) == 0))
 			{
 				*lastptr = i->next;
 				if (i->connection)
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ drop_descriptor(char *name, char *connection)
 
 struct descriptor
 		   *
-lookup_descriptor(char *name, char *connection)
+lookup_descriptor(char *name, char *conn_str)
 {
 	struct descriptor *i;
 
@@ -137,9 +137,9 @@ lookup_descriptor(char *name, char *connection)
 	{
 		if (strcmp(name, i->name) == 0)
 		{
-			if ((!connection && !i->connection)
-				|| (connection && i->connection
-					&& strcmp(connection, i->connection) == 0))
+			if ((!conn_str && !i->connection)
+				|| (conn_str && i->connection
+					&& strcmp(conn_str, i->connection) == 0))
 				return i;
 		}
 	}