diff --git a/srcpkgs/gettext/patches/automake-1.16.4.patch b/srcpkgs/gettext/patches/automake-1.16.4.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9de0e0b1208
--- /dev/null
+++ b/srcpkgs/gettext/patches/automake-1.16.4.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+From d1836dbbd6a90b4c0ab79bc5292c023f08b49511 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Bruno Haible <bruno@clisp.org>
+Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2021 02:08:43 +0200
+Subject: [PATCH] libtextstyle: Make gl_INIT_PACKAGE work with Automake >=
+ 1.16.4.
+
+Reported and analyzed by Nicole Mazzuca <mazzucan@outlook.com> in
+<https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-libunistring/2021-08/msg00002.html>.
+
+* m4/init-package-version.m4 (gl_INIT_PACKAGE): Use a new macro gl_INIT_EMPTY.
+(gl_INIT_DUMMY): Expand to empty in two steps, via a new macro gl_INIT_DUMMY2.
+---
+ libtextstyle/m4/init-package-version.m4 | 12 ++++++++----
+ 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/libtextstyle/m4/init-package-version.m4 b/libtextstyle/m4/init-package-version.m4
+index f131a844f..a26b1ab88 100644
+--- a/libtextstyle/m4/init-package-version.m4
++++ b/libtextstyle/m4/init-package-version.m4
+@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+-# init-package-version.m4 serial 1 (gettext-0.18)
+-dnl Copyright (C) 1992-2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
++# init-package-version.m4 serial 2
++dnl Copyright (C) 1992-2021 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ dnl This file is free software, distributed under the terms of the GNU
+ dnl General Public License.  As a special exception to the GNU General
+ dnl Public License, this file may be distributed as part of a program
+@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ AC_DEFUN([gl_INIT_PACKAGE],
+             m4_bpatsubst(m4_dquote(
+                 m4_defn([AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE])),
+               [AC_PACKAGE_NAME], [gl_INIT_DUMMY])),
+-          [AC_PACKAGE_TARNAME], [gl_INIT_DUMMY])),
++          [AC_PACKAGE_TARNAME], [gl_INIT_EMPTY])),
+       [AC_PACKAGE_VERSION], [gl_INIT_DUMMY])
+     [AC_SUBST([PACKAGE], [$1])
+      AC_SUBST([VERSION], [$2])
+@@ -85,7 +85,11 @@ AC_DEFUN([gl_INIT_PACKAGE],
+   m4_define([AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE],
+     m4_defn([gl_RPL_INIT_AUTOMAKE]))
+ ])
+-m4_define([gl_INIT_DUMMY], [])
++m4_define([gl_INIT_EMPTY], [])
++dnl Automake 1.16.4 no longer accepts an empty value for gl_INIT_DUMMY.
++dnl But a macro that later expands to empty works.
++m4_define([gl_INIT_DUMMY], [gl_INIT_DUMMY2])
++m4_define([gl_INIT_DUMMY2], [])
+ AC_DEFUN([gl_RPL_INIT_AUTOMAKE], [
+   m4_ifval([$2],
+     [m4_fatal([After gl_INIT_PACKAGE, the two-argument form of AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE cannot be used.])])
+-- 
+2.17.1
+