diff --git a/as/input.c b/as/input.c
index 819f99d..cc4e118 100644
--- a/as/input.c
+++ b/as/input.c
@@ -71,6 +71,36 @@ static int do_dot_globl(struct scan_state *scan_state, struct tunit *tunit, stru
     return 0;
 }
 
+static int do_dot_size(struct scan_state *scan_state, struct tunit *tunit, struct stmt *stmt)
+{
+    struct symbol *symbol;
+
+    symbol = tunit_symbol_enter(tunit, stmt->u.symbol.name);
+    if (!symbol)
+	return -1;
+
+    if (!symbol->section
+	|| !symbol->defined) {
+	fprintf(stderr, "%s: %s line %u: symbol %s undefined\n",
+		scan_state->progname, scan_state->filename, scan_state->linenr, stmt->u.symbol.name);
+	return -1;
+    }
+    if (symbol->st_size) {
+	fprintf(stderr, "%s: %s line %u: size of symbol %s already defined\n",
+		scan_state->progname, scan_state->filename, scan_state->linenr, stmt->u.symbol.name);
+	return -1;
+    }
+    if (symbol->section != tunit->cursect) {
+	fprintf(stderr, "%s: %s line %u: symbol %s is not defined in current section\n",
+		scan_state->progname, scan_state->filename, scan_state->linenr, stmt->u.symbol.name);
+	return -1;
+    }
+
+    symbol->st_size = tunit->cursect->dot - symbol->st_value;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 static int do_dot_text(struct scan_state *scan_state, struct tunit *tunit, struct stmt *stmt)
 {
     struct section *section;
@@ -152,6 +182,8 @@ static int interpret(struct scan_state *scan_state, struct tunit *tunit, struct
 	return do_dot_file(scan_state, tunit, stmt);
     case S_DOT_GLOBL:
 	return do_dot_globl(scan_state, tunit, stmt);
+    case S_DOT_SIZE:
+	return do_dot_size(scan_state, tunit, stmt);
     case S_DOT_TEXT:
 	return do_dot_text(scan_state, tunit, stmt);
     case S_DOT_TYPE_FUNCTION:
diff --git a/as/parse.c b/as/parse.c
index f7e2eb6..439570b 100644
--- a/as/parse.c
+++ b/as/parse.c
@@ -53,6 +53,37 @@ static int parse_dot_globl(struct scan_state *scan_state, struct stmt *stmt)
     return error(scan_state, "junk after .globl directive", token, &token_attr);
 }
 
+/* for now, accepts: .size <sym>,.-<sym> */
+static int parse_dot_size(struct scan_state *scan_state, struct stmt *stmt)
+{
+    enum token token;
+    union token_attribute token_attr;
+
+    token = scan_token(scan_state, &token_attr);
+    if (token == T_SYMBOL) {
+	stmt->u.symbol.name = token_attr.text;
+	token = scan_token(scan_state, &token_attr);
+	if (token == T_COMMA) {
+	    token = scan_token(scan_state, &token_attr);
+	    if (token == T_DOT) {
+		token = scan_token(scan_state, &token_attr);
+		if (token == T_MINUS) {
+		    token = scan_token(scan_state, &token_attr);
+		    if (token == T_SYMBOL
+			&& strcmp(token_attr.text, stmt->u.symbol.name) == 0) {
+			token = scan_token(scan_state, &token_attr);
+			if (token == T_NEWLINE) {
+			    stmt->tag = S_DOT_SIZE;
+			    return 1;
+			}
+		    }
+		}
+	    }
+	}
+    }
+    return error(scan_state, "junk after .size directive", token, &token_attr);
+}
+
 static int parse_dot_text(struct scan_state *scan_state, struct stmt *stmt)
 {
     enum token token;
@@ -378,6 +409,8 @@ int parse_stmt(struct scan_state *scan_state, struct stmt *stmt)
 	    return parse_dot_file(scan_state, stmt);
 	case T_DOT_GLOBL:
 	    return parse_dot_globl(scan_state, stmt);
+	case T_DOT_SIZE:
+	    return parse_dot_size(scan_state, stmt);
 	case T_DOT_TEXT:
 	    return parse_dot_text(scan_state, stmt);
 	case T_DOT_TYPE:
diff --git a/as/scan.c b/as/scan.c
index 25deed2..6bcceb1 100644
--- a/as/scan.c
+++ b/as/scan.c
@@ -220,6 +220,9 @@ static enum token do_symbol(struct scan_state *scan_state, union token_attribute
     if (charbuf[0] == '.') {
 	enum token low, high;
 
+	if (charbuf[1] == '\0')
+	    return T_DOT;
+
 	/* see token.def, reserved symbols occupy tokens [0,T_SYMBOL[ */
 	low = 0;
 	high = T_SYMBOL;
@@ -322,6 +325,8 @@ enum token scan_token(struct scan_state *scan_state, union token_attribute *toke
 	    return T_RPAREN;
 	case '"':
 	    return do_string(scan_state, token_attr);
+	case '-':
+	    return T_MINUS;
 	case '.':
 	    /* Dot may start a floating point literal, but tests show that
 	       gcc always outputs floating point values as integer literals,
diff --git a/as/token.def b/as/token.def
index fa778d5..b7e921e 100644
--- a/as/token.def
+++ b/as/token.def
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 /* reserved symbols including directives; MUST come first and MUST be listed in increasing alphanumeric order */
 TOKEN(T_DOT_FILE, ".file", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_GLOBL, ".globl", TAFMT_NONE)
+TOKEN(T_DOT_SIZE, ".size", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_TEXT, ".text", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_TYPE, ".type", TAFMT_NONE)
 /* non-reserved symbols; T_SYMBOL MUST be the first token after the list of reserved symbols */
@@ -18,7 +19,9 @@ TOKEN(T_STRING, "<string>", TAFMT_STRING)
 TOKEN(T_AT, "@", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_COLON, ":", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_COMMA, ",", TAFMT_NONE)
+TOKEN(T_DOT, ".", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_LPAREN, "(", TAFMT_NONE)
+TOKEN(T_MINUS, "-", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_RPAREN, ")", TAFMT_NONE)
 /* synthetic symbols */
 TOKEN(T_NEWLINE, "<newline>", TAFMT_NONE)
@@ -50,7 +53,6 @@ TOKEN(T_DOT_RODATA, ".rodata", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_SECTION, ".section", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_SET, ".set", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_SHORT, ".short", TAFMT_NONE)
-TOKEN(T_DOT_SIZE, ".size", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_SUBSECTION, ".subsection", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_SYMVER, ".symver", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_DOT_WEAK, ".weak", TAFMT_NONE)
@@ -71,7 +73,6 @@ TOKEN(T_AND, "&", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_CARET, "^", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_BANG, "!", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_PLUS, "+", TAFMT_NONE)
-TOKEN(T_MINUS, "-", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_EQ, "=", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_EQEQ, "==", TAFMT_NONE)
 TOKEN(T_NEQ, "!=", TAFMT_NONE)
diff --git a/as/tunit.h b/as/tunit.h
index ab7c826..2b510c3 100644
--- a/as/tunit.h
+++ b/as/tunit.h
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ enum stmt_tag {
     /* directives */
     S_DOT_FILE,
     S_DOT_GLOBL,
+    S_DOT_SIZE,
     S_DOT_TEXT,
     S_DOT_TYPE_FUNCTION,
     /* non-directives */
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ struct stmt {
 	struct {	/* S_DOT_FILE */
 	    const char *text;	/* XXX: should be pdp10_uint9_t* */
 	} string;
-	struct {	/* S_DOT_GLOBL, S_LABEL, S_DOT_TYPE_FUNCTION */
+	struct {	/* S_DOT_GLOBL, S_LABEL, S_DOT_SIZE, S_DOT_TYPE_FUNCTION */
 	    const char *name;
 	} symbol;
 	struct {	/* S_INSN */