diff --git a/src/pl/plpgsql/src/expected/plpgsql_record.out b/src/pl/plpgsql/src/expected/plpgsql_record.out
index afb922df29..36d65e4286 100644
--- a/src/pl/plpgsql/src/expected/plpgsql_record.out
+++ b/src/pl/plpgsql/src/expected/plpgsql_record.out
@@ -306,6 +306,32 @@ NOTICE:  r1 = (1,2)
 ERROR:  record "r1" has no field "nosuchfield"
 CONTEXT:  SQL expression "r1.nosuchfield"
 PL/pgSQL function inline_code_block line 9 at RAISE
+-- check that type record can be passed through %type
+do $$
+declare r1 record;
+        r2 r1%type;
+begin
+  r2 := row(1,2);
+  raise notice 'r2 = %', r2;
+  r2 := row(3,4,5);
+  raise notice 'r2 = %', r2;
+end$$;
+NOTICE:  r2 = (1,2)
+NOTICE:  r2 = (3,4,5)
+-- arrays of record are not supported at the moment
+do $$
+declare r1 record[];
+begin
+end$$;
+ERROR:  variable "r1" has pseudo-type record[]
+CONTEXT:  compilation of PL/pgSQL function "inline_code_block" near line 2
+do $$
+declare r1 record;
+        r2 r1%type[];
+begin
+end$$;
+ERROR:  variable "r2" has pseudo-type record[]
+CONTEXT:  compilation of PL/pgSQL function "inline_code_block" near line 3
 -- check repeated assignments to composite fields
 create table some_table (id int, data text);
 do $$
diff --git a/src/pl/plpgsql/src/pl_comp.c b/src/pl/plpgsql/src/pl_comp.c
index b745eaa3f8..c63719c796 100644
--- a/src/pl/plpgsql/src/pl_comp.c
+++ b/src/pl/plpgsql/src/pl_comp.c
@@ -1596,8 +1596,8 @@ plpgsql_parse_tripword(char *word1, char *word2, char *word3,
 
 
 /* ----------
- * plpgsql_parse_wordtype	The scanner found word%TYPE. word can be
- *				a variable name or a basetype.
+ * plpgsql_parse_wordtype	The scanner found word%TYPE. word should be
+ *				a pre-existing variable name.
  *
  * Returns datatype struct, or NULL if no match found for word.
  * ----------
@@ -1605,10 +1605,7 @@ plpgsql_parse_tripword(char *word1, char *word2, char *word3,
 PLpgSQL_type *
 plpgsql_parse_wordtype(char *ident)
 {
-	PLpgSQL_type *dtype;
 	PLpgSQL_nsitem *nse;
-	TypeName   *typeName;
-	HeapTuple	typeTup;
 
 	/*
 	 * Do a lookup in the current namespace stack
@@ -1623,39 +1620,13 @@ plpgsql_parse_wordtype(char *ident)
 		{
 			case PLPGSQL_NSTYPE_VAR:
 				return ((PLpgSQL_var *) (plpgsql_Datums[nse->itemno]))->datatype;
-
-				/* XXX perhaps allow REC/ROW here? */
-
+			case PLPGSQL_NSTYPE_REC:
+				return ((PLpgSQL_rec *) (plpgsql_Datums[nse->itemno]))->datatype;
 			default:
 				return NULL;
 		}
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * Word wasn't found in the namespace stack. Try to find a data type with
-	 * that name, but ignore shell types and complex types.
-	 */
-	typeName = makeTypeName(ident);
-	typeTup = LookupTypeName(NULL, typeName, NULL, false);
-	if (typeTup)
-	{
-		Form_pg_type typeStruct = (Form_pg_type) GETSTRUCT(typeTup);
-
-		if (!typeStruct->typisdefined ||
-			typeStruct->typrelid != InvalidOid)
-		{
-			ReleaseSysCache(typeTup);
-			return NULL;
-		}
-
-		dtype = build_datatype(typeTup, -1,
-							   plpgsql_curr_compile->fn_input_collation,
-							   typeName);
-
-		ReleaseSysCache(typeTup);
-		return dtype;
-	}
-
 	/*
 	 * Nothing found - up to now it's a word without any special meaning for
 	 * us.
@@ -1689,8 +1660,8 @@ plpgsql_parse_cwordtype(List *idents)
 	{
 		/*
 		 * Do a lookup in the current namespace stack. We don't need to check
-		 * number of names matched, because we will only consider scalar
-		 * variables.
+		 * number of names matched, because field references aren't supported
+		 * here.
 		 */
 		nse = plpgsql_ns_lookup(plpgsql_ns_top(), false,
 								strVal(linitial(idents)),
@@ -1703,6 +1674,11 @@ plpgsql_parse_cwordtype(List *idents)
 			dtype = ((PLpgSQL_var *) (plpgsql_Datums[nse->itemno]))->datatype;
 			goto done;
 		}
+		else if (nse != NULL && nse->itemtype == PLPGSQL_NSTYPE_REC)
+		{
+			dtype = ((PLpgSQL_rec *) (plpgsql_Datums[nse->itemno]))->datatype;
+			goto done;
+		}
 
 		/*
 		 * First word could also be a table name
diff --git a/src/pl/plpgsql/src/sql/plpgsql_record.sql b/src/pl/plpgsql/src/sql/plpgsql_record.sql
index db655335b1..f0fd05ba48 100644
--- a/src/pl/plpgsql/src/sql/plpgsql_record.sql
+++ b/src/pl/plpgsql/src/sql/plpgsql_record.sql
@@ -199,6 +199,29 @@ begin
   raise notice 'r1.nosuchfield = %', r1.nosuchfield;
 end$$;
 
+-- check that type record can be passed through %type
+do $$
+declare r1 record;
+        r2 r1%type;
+begin
+  r2 := row(1,2);
+  raise notice 'r2 = %', r2;
+  r2 := row(3,4,5);
+  raise notice 'r2 = %', r2;
+end$$;
+
+-- arrays of record are not supported at the moment
+do $$
+declare r1 record[];
+begin
+end$$;
+
+do $$
+declare r1 record;
+        r2 r1%type[];
+begin
+end$$;
+
 -- check repeated assignments to composite fields
 create table some_table (id int, data text);