diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml
index 195d83ba68c..eddc65e3b4c 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml
@@ -1612,7 +1612,7 @@ int PQsocket(const PGconn *conn);
       <para>
        Returns the process <acronym>ID</acronym>
        (PID)<indexterm><primary>PID</><secondary>determining PID of
-       server process</><tertiary>in libpq</></> of the backend server
+       server process</><tertiary>in libpq</></> of the backend
        process handling this connection.
 
 <synopsis>
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/problems.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/problems.sgml
index a65baa31578..3f79c6ef90c 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/problems.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/problems.sgml
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
     </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
 
-   Here <quote>program</quote> refers to any executable, not only the backend server.
+   Here <quote>program</quote> refers to any executable, not only the backend process.
   </para>
 
   <para>
@@ -280,9 +280,9 @@
    When writing a bug report, please avoid confusing terminology.
    The software package in total is called <quote>PostgreSQL</quote>,
    sometimes <quote>Postgres</quote> for short. If you
-   are specifically talking about the backend server, mention that, do not
+   are specifically talking about the backend process, mention that, do not
    just say <quote>PostgreSQL crashes</quote>.  A crash of a single
-   backend server process is quite different from crash of the parent
+   backend process is quite different from crash of the parent
    <quote>postgres</> process; please don't say <quote>the server
    crashed</> when you mean a single backend process went down, nor vice versa.
    Also, client programs such as the interactive frontend <quote><application>psql</application></quote>
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/query.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/query.sgml
index 681d08abed8..f4fbf11a8d1 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/query.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/query.sgml
@@ -264,8 +264,8 @@ INSERT INTO weather (date, city, temp_hi, temp_lo)
 COPY weather FROM '/home/user/weather.txt';
 </programlisting>
 
-    where the file name for the source file must be available to the
-    backend server machine, not the client, since the backend server
+    where the file name for the source file must be available on the
+    machine running the backend process, not the client, since the backend process
     reads the file directly.  You can read more about the
     <command>COPY</command> command in <xref linkend="sql-copy">.
    </para>
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_ctl-ref.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_ctl-ref.sgml
index 608749f4c6a..626ed1f8eb8 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_ctl-ref.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_ctl-ref.sgml
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
    <application>pg_ctl</application> is a utility for initializing a
    <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> database cluster, starting,
    stopping, or restarting the <productname>PostgreSQL</productname>
-   backend server (<xref linkend="app-postgres">), or displaying the
+   database server (<xref linkend="app-postgres">), or displaying the
    status of a running server.  Although the server can be started
    manually, <application>pg_ctl</application> encapsulates tasks such
    as redirecting log output and properly detaching from the terminal
diff --git a/src/backend/libpq/pqsignal.c b/src/backend/libpq/pqsignal.c
index 31e37e9a2b7..0fee280ae33 100644
--- a/src/backend/libpq/pqsignal.c
+++ b/src/backend/libpq/pqsignal.c
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
  *	how to handle signalling.
  *
  *	signal(2) handling - this is here because it affects some of
- *	the frontend commands as well as the backend server.
+ *	the frontend commands as well as the backend processes.
  *
  *	Ultrix and SunOS provide BSD signal(2) semantics by default.
  *
diff --git a/src/backend/main/main.c b/src/backend/main/main.c
index 5d077888c95..43d182b4dba 100644
--- a/src/backend/main/main.c
+++ b/src/backend/main/main.c
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ help(const char *progname)
 	printf(_("  -O              allow system table structure changes\n"));
 	printf(_("  -P              disable system indexes\n"));
 	printf(_("  -t pa|pl|ex     show timings after each query\n"));
-	printf(_("  -T              send SIGSTOP to all backend servers if one dies\n"));
+	printf(_("  -T              send SIGSTOP to all backend processes if one dies\n"));
 	printf(_("  -W NUM          wait NUM seconds to allow attach from a debugger\n"));
 
 	printf(_("\nOptions for single-user mode:\n"));
diff --git a/src/test/examples/testlibpq4.c b/src/test/examples/testlibpq4.c
index dafc6aecb12..0ec04313c0c 100644
--- a/src/test/examples/testlibpq4.c
+++ b/src/test/examples/testlibpq4.c
@@ -72,11 +72,11 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 	 * defaults by looking up environment variables or, failing that, using
 	 * hardwired constants
 	 */
-	pghost = NULL;				/* host name of the backend server */
-	pgport = NULL;				/* port of the backend server */
+	pghost = NULL;				/* host name of the backend */
+	pgport = NULL;				/* port of the backend */
 	pgoptions = NULL;			/* special options to start up the backend
 								 * server */
-	pgtty = NULL;				/* debugging tty for the backend server */
+	pgtty = NULL;				/* debugging tty for the backend */
 
 	/* make a connection to the database */
 	conn1 = PQsetdb(pghost, pgport, pgoptions, pgtty, dbName1);