diff --git a/extra/csv/csv-docs.factor b/extra/csv/csv-docs.factor
index c16ed46522..c9f39900ab 100644
--- a/extra/csv/csv-docs.factor
+++ b/extra/csv/csv-docs.factor
@@ -12,3 +12,10 @@ HELP: csv-row
           { "row" "an array of fields" } } 
 { $description "parses a row from a csv stream"
 } ;
+
+
+HELP: with-delimiter
+{ $values { "char" "field delimiter (e.g. CHAR: \t)" }
+          { "quot" "a quotation" } }
+{ $description "Sets the field delimiter for csv or csv-row words "
+} ;
diff --git a/extra/csv/csv-tests.factor b/extra/csv/csv-tests.factor
index edd22751b5..6ab26c7e40 100644
--- a/extra/csv/csv-tests.factor
+++ b/extra/csv/csv-tests.factor
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ IN: csv.tests
 [ "Year,Make,Model\n1997,Ford,E350\n2000,Mercury,Cougar" 
    <string-reader> csv ] named-unit-test
 
+   
 
    
 ! !!!!!!!!  other tests
@@ -59,3 +60,8 @@ IN: csv.tests
 "trims leading and trailing whitespace - n.b. this isn't really conformant, but lots of csv seems to assume this"
 [ { { "foo yeah" "bah" "baz" } } ] 
 [ "  foo yeah  , bah ,baz\n" <string-reader> csv ] named-unit-test
+
+
+"allows setting of delimiting character"
+[ { { "foo" "bah" "baz" } } ] 
+[ "foo\tbah\tbaz\n" <string-reader> CHAR: \t [ csv ] with-delimiter ] named-unit-test
diff --git a/extra/csv/csv.factor b/extra/csv/csv.factor
index fbb3677491..3953ce057b 100644
--- a/extra/csv/csv.factor
+++ b/extra/csv/csv.factor
@@ -4,32 +4,33 @@
 ! Simple CSV Parser
 ! Phil Dawes phil@phildawes.net
 
-USING: kernel sequences io namespaces combinators
-unicode.categories ;
+USING: kernel sequences io namespaces combinators unicode.categories vars ;
 IN: csv
 
 DEFER: quoted-field
 
+VAR: delimiter
+
 ! trims whitespace from either end of string
 : trim-whitespace ( str -- str )
   [ blank? ] trim ; inline
 
 : skip-to-field-end ( -- endchar )
-  ",\n" read-until nip ; inline
+  "\n" delimiter> suffix read-until nip ; inline
   
 : not-quoted-field ( -- endchar )
-  ",\"\n" read-until   ! "
+  "\"\n" delimiter> suffix read-until   ! "
   dup
-  { { CHAR: "   [ drop drop quoted-field ] }  ! " 
-    { CHAR: ,   [ swap trim-whitespace % ] } 
-    { CHAR: \n  [ swap trim-whitespace % ] }    
-    { f         [ swap trim-whitespace % ] }       ! eof
+  { { CHAR: "     [ drop drop quoted-field ] }  ! " 
+    { delimiter> [ swap trim-whitespace % ] } 
+    { CHAR: \n    [ swap trim-whitespace % ] }    
+    { f           [ swap trim-whitespace % ] }       ! eof
   } case ;
   
 : maybe-escaped-quote ( -- endchar )
   read1 dup 
-  { { CHAR: "   [ , quoted-field ] }  ! " is an escaped quote
-    { CHAR: ,   [ ] }                 ! end of quoted field 
+  { { CHAR: "    [ , quoted-field ] }  ! " is an escaped quote
+    { delimiter> [ ] }                 ! end of quoted field 
     [ 2drop skip-to-field-end ]       ! end of quoted field + padding
   } case ;
   
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ DEFER: quoted-field
 
 : (row) ( -- sep )
   field , 
-  dup CHAR: , = [ drop (row) ] when ;
+  dup delimiter> = [ drop (row) ] when ;
 
 : row ( -- eof? array[string] )
   [ (row) ] { } make ;
@@ -54,8 +55,16 @@ DEFER: quoted-field
   row append-if-row-not-empty
   [ (csv) ] when ;
 
+: init-vars ( -- )
+  delimiter> [ CHAR: , >delimiter ] unless ; inline
+  
 : csv-row ( stream -- row )
+  init-vars
   [ row nip ] with-stream ;
 
 : csv ( stream -- rows )
+  init-vars
   [ [ (csv) ] { } make ] with-stream ;
+
+: with-delimiter ( char quot -- )
+  delimiter swap with-variable ; inline