diff --git a/basis/alien/inline/inline-tests.factor b/basis/alien/inline/inline-tests.factor
index 837f27ceb7..2092800c7d 100644
--- a/basis/alien/inline/inline-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/inline/inline-tests.factor
@@ -1,20 +1,31 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2009 Jeremy Hughes.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: alien.inline alien.inline.private io.directories io.files
-kernel namespaces tools.test ;
+kernel namespaces tools.test alien.c-types ;
 IN: alien.inline.tests
 
-C-LIBRARY: const
+C-LIBRARY: test
 
 C-FUNCTION: const-int add ( int a, int b )
     return a + b;
 ;
 
+C-TYPEDEF: double bigfloat
+
+C-FUNCTION: bigfloat smaller ( bigfloat a )
+    return a / 10;
+;
+
 ;C-LIBRARY
 
 { 2 1 } [ add ] must-infer-as
 [ 5 ] [ 2 3 add ] unit-test
 
+{ 1 1 } [ smaller ] must-infer-as
+[ 1.0 ] [ 10 smaller ] unit-test
+
+[ t ] [ "double" "bigfloat" [ resolve-typedef ] bi@ = ] unit-test
+
 DELETE-C-LIBRARY: const
 
 
diff --git a/basis/alien/inline/inline.factor b/basis/alien/inline/inline.factor
index 07f4693446..0f05488917 100644
--- a/basis/alien/inline/inline.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/inline/inline.factor
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ alien.libraries alien.parser arrays assocs effects fry
 generalizations grouping io.directories io.files
 io.files.info io.files.temp kernel lexer math math.order
 math.ranges multiline namespaces sequences source-files
-splitting strings system vocabs.loader vocabs.parser words ;
+splitting strings system vocabs.loader vocabs.parser words
+alien.c-types make ;
 IN: alien.inline
 
 <PRIVATE
@@ -86,6 +87,12 @@ PRIVATE>
 : define-c-include ( str -- )
     "#include " prepend c-strings get push ;
 
+: define-c-typedef ( old new -- )
+    [ typedef ] [
+        [ swap "typedef " % % " " % % ";" % ]
+        "" make c-strings get push
+    ] 2bi ;
+
 : delete-inline-library ( str -- )
     library-path dup exists? [ delete-file ] [ drop ] if ;
 
@@ -104,6 +111,8 @@ SYNTAX: C-INCLUDE: scan define-c-include ;
 SYNTAX: C-FUNCTION:
     function-types-effect define-c-function ;
 
+SYNTAX: C-TYPEDEF: scan scan define-c-typedef ;
+
 SYNTAX: ;C-LIBRARY compile-c-library ;
 
 SYNTAX: DELETE-C-LIBRARY: scan delete-inline-library ;