diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 38481eea847..bb0625432d2 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -21825,6 +21825,8 @@ else
         { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: yes" >&5
 $as_echo "yes" >&6; }
 
+      $as_echo "#define HAVE_NCURSESW 1" >>confdefs.h
+
       have_curses=ncursesw
 
 fi
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 42e181bca9d..fde61728e7e 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -6112,6 +6112,7 @@ AS_VAR_IF([ac_cv_header_ncurses_h], [yes], [
   if test "$ac_sys_system" != "Darwin"; then
     dnl On macOS, there is no separate /usr/lib/libncursesw nor libpanelw.
     PKG_CHECK_MODULES([CURSES], [ncursesw], [
+      AC_DEFINE([HAVE_NCURSESW], [1])
       have_curses=ncursesw
     ], [
       WITH_SAVE_ENV([