diff --git a/database/database.mysql b/database/database.mysql
index dfe3f7a74e5..d48390b7631 100644
--- a/database/database.mysql
+++ b/database/database.mysql
@@ -595,6 +595,7 @@ CREATE TABLE vocabulary (
   vid int(10) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
   name varchar(255) NOT NULL default '',
   description longtext,
+  help varchar(255) NOT NULL default '',
   relations tinyint(3) unsigned NOT NULL default '0',
   hierarchy tinyint(3) unsigned NOT NULL default '0',
   multiple tinyint(3) unsigned NOT NULL default '0',
diff --git a/database/database.pgsql b/database/database.pgsql
index 187ee0a767e..58649530cab 100644
--- a/database/database.pgsql
+++ b/database/database.pgsql
@@ -545,6 +545,7 @@ CREATE TABLE vocabulary (
   vid SERIAL,
   name varchar(255) NOT NULL default '',
   description text default '',
+  help varchar(255) NOT NULL default '',
   relations smallint NOT NULL default '0',
   hierarchy smallint NOT NULL default '0',
   multiple smallint NOT NULL default '0',
diff --git a/database/updates.inc b/database/updates.inc
index fffa8e1301c..837c881eed7 100644
--- a/database/updates.inc
+++ b/database/updates.inc
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ $sql_updates = array(
   "2004-03-11: first update since Drupal 4.4.0 release" => "update_80",
   "2004-02-20" => "update_81",
   "2004-02-27" => "update_82",
-  "2004-04-15" => "update_83"
+  "2004-04-15" => "update_83",
+  "2004-04-21" => "update_84"
 );
 
 function update_32() {
@@ -922,6 +923,17 @@ function update_83() {
   return $ret;
 }
 
+function update_84() {
+  $ret = array();
+  if ($GLOBALS["db_type"] == "mysql") {
+    $ret[] = update_sql("ALTER TABLE vocabulary ADD help VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL DEFAULT '' AFTER description;");
+  }
+  else {
+    /* Needs PostgreSQL equivalent */
+  }
+  return $ret;
+}
+
 function update_sql($sql) {
   $edit = $_POST["edit"];
   $result = db_query($sql);
diff --git a/modules/taxonomy.module b/modules/taxonomy.module
index e6d1b9a791c..a3060579227 100644
--- a/modules/taxonomy.module
+++ b/modules/taxonomy.module
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ function taxonomy_form_vocabulary($edit = array()) {
 
   $form .= form_textfield(t("Vocabulary name"), "name", $edit["name"], 50, 64, t("Required") .". ". t("The name for this vocabulary.  Example: 'Topic'") .".");
   $form .= form_textarea(t("Description"), "description", $edit["description"], 60, 5, t("Optional") .". ". t("Description of the vocabulary, can be used by modules."));
+  $form .= form_textfield(t("Help text"), "help", $edit["help"], 50, 255, t("Optional") .". ". t("Instructions to present to the user when choosing a term.") .".");
   $form .= form_select(t("Types"), "nodes", explode(",", $edit["nodes"]), $nodetypes, t("Required") .". ". t("A list of node types you want to associate this vocabulary with."), "", 1);
   $form .= form_checkbox(t("Related terms"), "relations", 1, $edit["relations"], t("Optional") .". ". t("Allows <a href=\"%help-url\">related terms</a> in this vocabulary.", array("%help-url" => url("admin/taxonomy/help", NULL, NULL, "related-terms"))));
   $form .= form_radios(t("Hierarchy"), "hierarchy", $edit["hierarchy"], array(t("Disabled"), t("Single"), t("Multiple")), t("Optional") .". ". t("Allows <a href=\"%help-url\">a tree-like hierarchy</a> between terms of this vocabulary.", array("%help-url" => url("admin/taxonomy/help", NULL, NULL, "hierarchy"))), "", 0);
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ function taxonomy_save_vocabulary($edit) {
     $edit["nodes"] = array();
   }
 
-  $data = array("name" => $edit["name"], "nodes" => implode(",", $edit["nodes"]), "description" => $edit["description"], "multiple" => $edit["multiple"], "required" => $edit["required"], "hierarchy" => $edit["hierarchy"], "relations" => $edit["relations"], "weight" => $edit["weight"]);
+  $data = array("name" => $edit["name"], "nodes" => implode(",", $edit["nodes"]), "description" => $edit["description"], "help" => $edit["help"], "multiple" => $edit["multiple"], "required" => $edit["required"], "hierarchy" => $edit["hierarchy"], "relations" => $edit["relations"], "weight" => $edit["weight"]);
   if ($edit["vid"] && $edit["name"]) {
     db_query("UPDATE {vocabulary} SET ". _prepare_update($data) ." WHERE vid = %d", $edit["vid"]);
     module_invoke_all("taxonomy", "update", "vocabulary", $edit);
@@ -298,22 +299,19 @@ function taxonomy_overview() {
   return theme("table", $header, $rows);
 }
 
-function taxonomy_form($vocabulary_id, $value = 0, $error = array()) {
+function taxonomy_form($vocabulary_id, $value = 0, $error = array(), $help = NULL) {
   $vocabulary = taxonomy_get_vocabulary($vocabulary_id);
+  $help = ($help) ? $help : $vocabulary->help;
   if ($vocabulary->required) {
-    $descriptions = array(t("You must choose one term for this node."), t("You must choose one or more terms for this node."));
     $blank = 0;
   }
   else {
-    $descriptions = array(t("You can choose one term for this node."), t("You can choose one or more terms for this node."));
     $blank = "<". t("none") .">";
   }
 
-  $multiple = intval($vocabulary->multiple);
+  $help .= $error['taxonomy'];
 
-  $description = $descriptions[$multiple] . $error['taxonomy'];
-
-  return _taxonomy_term_select($vocabulary->name, 'taxonomy', $value, $vocabulary_id, $description, $multiple, $blank);
+  return _taxonomy_term_select($vocabulary->name, 'taxonomy', $value, $vocabulary_id, $help, intval($vocabulary->multiple), $blank);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.module b/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.module
index e6d1b9a791c..a3060579227 100644
--- a/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.module
+++ b/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.module
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ function taxonomy_form_vocabulary($edit = array()) {
 
   $form .= form_textfield(t("Vocabulary name"), "name", $edit["name"], 50, 64, t("Required") .". ". t("The name for this vocabulary.  Example: 'Topic'") .".");
   $form .= form_textarea(t("Description"), "description", $edit["description"], 60, 5, t("Optional") .". ". t("Description of the vocabulary, can be used by modules."));
+  $form .= form_textfield(t("Help text"), "help", $edit["help"], 50, 255, t("Optional") .". ". t("Instructions to present to the user when choosing a term.") .".");
   $form .= form_select(t("Types"), "nodes", explode(",", $edit["nodes"]), $nodetypes, t("Required") .". ". t("A list of node types you want to associate this vocabulary with."), "", 1);
   $form .= form_checkbox(t("Related terms"), "relations", 1, $edit["relations"], t("Optional") .". ". t("Allows <a href=\"%help-url\">related terms</a> in this vocabulary.", array("%help-url" => url("admin/taxonomy/help", NULL, NULL, "related-terms"))));
   $form .= form_radios(t("Hierarchy"), "hierarchy", $edit["hierarchy"], array(t("Disabled"), t("Single"), t("Multiple")), t("Optional") .". ". t("Allows <a href=\"%help-url\">a tree-like hierarchy</a> between terms of this vocabulary.", array("%help-url" => url("admin/taxonomy/help", NULL, NULL, "hierarchy"))), "", 0);
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ function taxonomy_save_vocabulary($edit) {
     $edit["nodes"] = array();
   }
 
-  $data = array("name" => $edit["name"], "nodes" => implode(",", $edit["nodes"]), "description" => $edit["description"], "multiple" => $edit["multiple"], "required" => $edit["required"], "hierarchy" => $edit["hierarchy"], "relations" => $edit["relations"], "weight" => $edit["weight"]);
+  $data = array("name" => $edit["name"], "nodes" => implode(",", $edit["nodes"]), "description" => $edit["description"], "help" => $edit["help"], "multiple" => $edit["multiple"], "required" => $edit["required"], "hierarchy" => $edit["hierarchy"], "relations" => $edit["relations"], "weight" => $edit["weight"]);
   if ($edit["vid"] && $edit["name"]) {
     db_query("UPDATE {vocabulary} SET ". _prepare_update($data) ." WHERE vid = %d", $edit["vid"]);
     module_invoke_all("taxonomy", "update", "vocabulary", $edit);
@@ -298,22 +299,19 @@ function taxonomy_overview() {
   return theme("table", $header, $rows);
 }
 
-function taxonomy_form($vocabulary_id, $value = 0, $error = array()) {
+function taxonomy_form($vocabulary_id, $value = 0, $error = array(), $help = NULL) {
   $vocabulary = taxonomy_get_vocabulary($vocabulary_id);
+  $help = ($help) ? $help : $vocabulary->help;
   if ($vocabulary->required) {
-    $descriptions = array(t("You must choose one term for this node."), t("You must choose one or more terms for this node."));
     $blank = 0;
   }
   else {
-    $descriptions = array(t("You can choose one term for this node."), t("You can choose one or more terms for this node."));
     $blank = "<". t("none") .">";
   }
 
-  $multiple = intval($vocabulary->multiple);
+  $help .= $error['taxonomy'];
 
-  $description = $descriptions[$multiple] . $error['taxonomy'];
-
-  return _taxonomy_term_select($vocabulary->name, 'taxonomy', $value, $vocabulary_id, $description, $multiple, $blank);
+  return _taxonomy_term_select($vocabulary->name, 'taxonomy', $value, $vocabulary_id, $help, intval($vocabulary->multiple), $blank);
 }
 
 /*