diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index 5d274e02fe3a412032e67237697480b939827b3c..734206a4b29de5501c349292c5f0da06b329cac3 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -25510,7 +25510,7 @@ evaluates to.  As an example, @var{file} might contain a definition like this:
             %base-services))))
 
 (list (machine
-       (system %system)
+       (operating-system %system)
        (environment managed-host-environment-type)
        (configuration (machine-ssh-configuration
                        (host-name "localhost")
@@ -25551,7 +25551,7 @@ This is the data type representing a single machine in a heterogeneous Guix
 deployment.
 
 @table @asis
-@item @code{system}
+@item @code{operating-system}
 The object of the operating system configuration to deploy.
 
 @item @code{environment}
diff --git a/gnu/machine.scm b/gnu/machine.scm
index 0b79402b0a8e52f4d8cee5b1c511b82f8b0d9eb7..30ae97f6ecb925927c41357c6feaef2ba864ceea 100644
--- a/gnu/machine.scm
+++ b/gnu/machine.scm
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ (define-module (gnu machine)
             machine?
             this-machine
 
-            machine-system
+            machine-operating-system
             machine-environment
             machine-configuration
             machine-display-name
@@ -85,14 +85,14 @@ (define-record-type* <machine> machine
   make-machine
   machine?
   this-machine
-  (system        machine-system)       ; <operating-system>
-  (environment   machine-environment)  ; symbol
-  (configuration machine-configuration ; configuration object
-                 (default #f)))        ; specific to environment
+  (operating-system machine-operating-system) ; <operating-system>
+  (environment      machine-environment)      ; symbol
+  (configuration    machine-configuration     ; configuration object
+                    (default #f)))            ; specific to environment
 
 (define (machine-display-name machine)
   "Return the host-name identifying MACHINE."
-  (operating-system-host-name (machine-system machine)))
+  (operating-system-host-name (machine-operating-system machine)))
 
 (define (machine-remote-eval machine exp)
   "Evaluate EXP, a gexp, on MACHINE. Ensure that all the elements EXP refers to
diff --git a/gnu/machine/ssh.scm b/gnu/machine/ssh.scm
index 552eafa9de05abf46820ad914f82a5b22ef6d7e7..d1c90b6313431bdf9120a795c355471097aee55c 100644
--- a/gnu/machine/ssh.scm
+++ b/gnu/machine/ssh.scm
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ (define (deploy-managed-host machine)
 environment type of 'managed-host."
   (maybe-raise-unsupported-configuration-error machine)
   (mlet %store-monad ((boot-parameters (machine-boot-parameters machine)))
-    (let* ((os (machine-system machine))
+    (let* ((os (machine-operating-system machine))
            (eval (cut machine-remote-eval machine <>))
            (menu-entries (map boot-parameters->menu-entry boot-parameters))
            (bootloader-configuration (operating-system-bootloader os))