diff --git a/basis/debugger/debugger-docs.factor b/basis/debugger/debugger-docs.factor
index f8897712e7..fe00d011c3 100644
--- a/basis/debugger/debugger-docs.factor
+++ b/basis/debugger/debugger-docs.factor
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 USING: alien arrays generic generic.math help.markup help.syntax
 kernel math memory strings sbufs vectors io io.files classes
-help generic.standard continuations system io.files.private
-listener ;
+help generic.standard continuations io.files.private listener ;
 IN: debugger
 
 ARTICLE: "debugger" "The debugger"
@@ -144,5 +143,4 @@ HELP: memory-error.
 { $notes "This can be a result of incorrect usage of C library interface words, a bug in the compiler, or a bug in the VM." } ;
 
 HELP: primitive-error.
-{ $error-description "Thrown by the Factor VM if an unsupported primitive word is called." }
-{ $notes "This word is only ever thrown on Windows CE, where the " { $link cwd } ", " { $link cd } ", and " { $link os-env } " primitives are unsupported." } ;
+{ $error-description "Thrown by the Factor VM if an unsupported primitive word is called." } ;
diff --git a/basis/io/launcher/launcher.factor b/basis/io/launcher/launcher.factor
index 7f1a3f4507..3e190e012e 100644
--- a/basis/io/launcher/launcher.factor
+++ b/basis/io/launcher/launcher.factor
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: system kernel namespaces strings hashtables sequences 
 assocs combinators vocabs.loader init threads continuations
-math accessors concurrency.flags destructors
+math accessors concurrency.flags destructors environment
 io io.backend io.timeouts io.pipes io.pipes.private io.encodings
 io.streams.duplex io.ports debugger prettyprint summary ;
 IN: io.launcher
diff --git a/basis/io/unix/launcher/launcher.factor b/basis/io/unix/launcher/launcher.factor
index fb8dc85cf8..421e12a92f 100644
--- a/basis/io/unix/launcher/launcher.factor
+++ b/basis/io/unix/launcher/launcher.factor
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: kernel namespaces math system sequences debugger
 continuations arrays assocs combinators alien.c-types strings
-threads accessors
+threads accessors environment
 io io.backend io.launcher io.ports io.files
 io.files.private io.unix.files io.unix.backend
 io.unix.launcher.parser
diff --git a/basis/stack-checker/known-words/known-words.factor b/basis/stack-checker/known-words/known-words.factor
index 80e888a3e9..1a0f3c5eb2 100644
--- a/basis/stack-checker/known-words/known-words.factor
+++ b/basis/stack-checker/known-words/known-words.factor
@@ -412,8 +412,6 @@ do-primitive alien-invoke alien-indirect alien-callback
 \ code-room { } { integer integer integer integer } define-primitive
 \ code-room  make-flushable
 
-\ os-env { string } { object } define-primitive
-
 \ millis { } { integer } define-primitive
 \ millis make-flushable
 
@@ -590,14 +588,6 @@ do-primitive alien-invoke alien-indirect alien-callback
 
 \ set-innermost-frame-quot { quotation callstack } { } define-primitive
 
-\ (os-envs) { } { array } define-primitive
-
-\ set-os-env { string string } { } define-primitive
-
-\ unset-os-env { string } { } define-primitive
-
-\ (set-os-envs) { array } { } define-primitive
-
 \ dll-valid? { object } { object } define-primitive
 
 \ modify-code-heap { array object } { } define-primitive
diff --git a/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor b/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
index 1a6fa3c18a..08ae762577 100644
--- a/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
+++ b/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
@@ -448,7 +448,6 @@ tuple
     { "exit" "system" }
     { "data-room" "memory" }
     { "code-room" "memory" }
-    { "os-env" "system" }
     { "millis" "system" }
     { "modify-code-heap" "compiler.units" }
     { "dlopen" "alien" }
@@ -518,10 +517,6 @@ tuple
     { "innermost-frame-scan" "kernel.private" }
     { "set-innermost-frame-quot" "kernel.private" }
     { "call-clear" "kernel" }
-    { "(os-envs)" "system.private" }
-    { "set-os-env" "system" }
-    { "unset-os-env" "system" }
-    { "(set-os-envs)" "system.private" }
     { "resize-byte-array" "byte-arrays" }
     { "dll-valid?" "alien" }
     { "unimplemented" "kernel.private" }
diff --git a/core/system/system.factor b/core/system/system.factor
index 6c9d838fa4..66662a23e1 100644
--- a/core/system/system.factor
+++ b/core/system/system.factor
@@ -65,9 +65,3 @@ PRIVATE>
 ] "system" add-init-hook
 
 : embedded? ( -- ? ) 15 getenv ;
-
-: os-envs ( -- assoc )
-    (os-envs) [ "=" split1 ] H{ } map>assoc ;
-
-: set-os-envs ( assoc -- )
-    [ "=" swap 3append ] { } assoc>map (set-os-envs) ;