diff --git a/config/m4/check-math-func.m4 b/config/m4/check-math-func.m4
index ce632726ce..5677cedef5 100644
--- a/config/m4/check-math-func.m4
+++ b/config/m4/check-math-func.m4
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-dnl AC_FIND_FUNC(func, arguments)
+dnl AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(func)
 AC_DEFUN([AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC], [
-  AC_FIND_FUNC_NO_LIBS([$1], [m], [#include <math.h>], [$2])
+  AC_LANG(C)
+  AC_CHECK_LIB([m],[$1],[
+    eval "ac_tr_func=HAVE_[]upcase($1)"
+    AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED($ac_tr_func)
+  ],[
+  ])
 ])
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9186d00dc5..280694ce6f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -148,68 +148,68 @@ if test $enable_pthread_tls = yes; then
 fi
 
 dnl libm math.h functions
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(acos, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(acosh, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(asin, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(asinh, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(atan2, [.5,.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(atan, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(atanh, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(cbrt, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(ceil,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(copysign,[.5,1.0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(cos, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(cosh, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(drem,[.5,1.0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(erf,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(erfc,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(exp10,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(exp2, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(exp, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(expm1,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fabs,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fdim,[.5,1.0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(floor, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fma,[.5,1.0,1.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fmax,[.5,1.0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fmin,[.5,1.0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fmod,[.5,1.0])
-AC_FIND_FUNC([frexp], [m c], [#include <math.h>], [0, 0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(gamma,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(hypot, [.5,.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(j0, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(j1, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(jn, [1,.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(ldexp,[.5,2])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(lgamma,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(log10, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(log1p,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(log2, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(log, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(logb,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC([modf], [m c], [#include <math.h>], [0, 0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC([lgamma_r], [m c], [#include <math.h>], [0, 0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(nearbyint,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(nextafter,[.5,1.0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(nexttoward,[.5,1.0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(pow10,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(pow, [2,2])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(remainder, [3,2])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(rint,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(round,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(scalb,[.5,1.0])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(scalbln,[.5,2])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(significand,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(sin, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(sinh, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(sqrt, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(tan, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(tanh, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(tgamma, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(trunc,[.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(y0, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(y1, [.5])
-AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(yn, [1,.5])
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(acos)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(acosh)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(asin)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(asinh)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(atan2)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(atan)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(atanh)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(cbrt)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(ceil)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(copysign)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(cos)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(cosh)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(drem)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(erf)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(erfc)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(exp10)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(exp2)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(exp)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(expm1)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fabs)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fdim)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(floor)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fma)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fmax)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fmin)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(fmod)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(frexp)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(gamma)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(hypot)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(j0)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(j1)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(jn)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(ldexp)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(lgamma)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(log10)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(log1p)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(log2)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(log)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(logb)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(modf)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(lgamma_r)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(nearbyint)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(nextafter)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(nexttoward)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(pow10) # Not available with glibc version >= 2.27
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(pow)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(remainder)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(rint)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(round)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(scalb)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(scalbln)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(significand)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(sin)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(sinh)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(sqrt)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(tan)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(tanh)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(tgamma)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(trunc)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(y0)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(y1)
+AC_CHECK_MATH_FUNC(yn)
 
 dnl Thread local storage
 have___thread=no
diff --git a/docs/content/3.manual/manual.yml b/docs/content/3.manual/manual.yml
index 607d1b4aab..545a9cb11c 100644
--- a/docs/content/3.manual/manual.yml
+++ b/docs/content/3.manual/manual.yml
@@ -795,6 +795,35 @@ sections:
             input: '[[0,1], ["a","b","c"]]'
             output: ['[false, true]']
 
+      - title: "`fetch(key)`, `fetch(key; fallback)`"
+        body: |
+
+          The builtin function `fetch` returns the value of the path expression of
+          the input object, or if it is unavailable, an empty object. A path
+          expression can also be deeply nested. You can also indicate what the
+          fallback value should be with a second (deeply nested) path expression.
+          This function was inspired by the function of the same name in Ruby.
+
+        examples:
+          - program: 'fetch(.foo)'
+            input: '{"foo": "bar"}'
+            output: ['"bar"']
+          - program: 'fetch(.fu)'
+            input: '{"foo": "bar"}'
+            output: []
+          - program: 'fetch(.fu; "baz")'
+            input: '{"foo": "bar"}'
+            output: ['"baz"']
+          - program: 'fetch(.foo.bar)'
+            input: '{"foo": {"bar": 1}}'
+            output: ['1']
+          - program: 'fetch(.foo.bar; .foo.baz)'
+            input: '{"foo": {"baz": 2}}'
+            output: ['2']
+          - program: 'fetch(.few; fetch(.fu; .foo))'
+            input: '{"foo": "bar"}'
+            output: ['"bar"']
+
       - title: "`in`"
         body: |
 
diff --git a/src/builtin.jq b/src/builtin.jq
index e65a8997d6..50125e5c96 100644
--- a/src/builtin.jq
+++ b/src/builtin.jq
@@ -39,6 +39,34 @@ def any(generator; condition):
                   if . then . else empty end)] | length == 1;
 def any(condition): any(.[]; condition);
 def any: any(.);
+# $key must be an array-path, as with getpath/1
+def fetchpath($key; default):
+  getpath($key) as $value
+  | if $value != null then $value
+    elif ($key|length) == 1
+    then if has($key[-1]) then null else default end
+    else getpath($key[:-1]) as $x
+    | if $x == null then default
+      elif $x|has($key[-1]) then null
+      else default
+      end
+   end;
+## $key must be an array-path, as with getpath/1
+#def fetchpath($key; default):
+#  ($key|length) as $len
+#  | if $len > 0
+#    then $key[0] as $k
+#    | if has($k)? // false
+#      then . as $in
+#      | .[$k] | (if $len == 1 then . else fetchpath($key[1:]; $in | default) end)
+#      else default
+#      end
+#    else default
+#    end;
+def fetch(key; default):
+  fetchpath({} | path(key); default);
+def fetchpath(key): fetchpath(key; empty);
+def fetch(key): fetch(key; empty);
 def all(generator; condition):
         [label $out | foreach generator as $i
                  (true;
diff --git a/tests/jq.test b/tests/jq.test
index 7e2dd430a2..6050fc0de3 100644
--- a/tests/jq.test
+++ b/tests/jq.test
@@ -1516,4 +1516,50 @@ isempty(1,error("foo"))
 null
 false
 
+fetch(.foo)
+{"foo": "bar"}
+"bar"
 
+isempty(fetch(.notFoo))
+{"foo": "bar"}
+true
+
+fetch(.foo.baz)
+{"fu":0, "foo": {"bar":1, "baz":2}}
+2
+
+isempty(fetch(.notFoo.baz))
+{}
+true
+
+isempty(fetch(.notFoo.baz))
+{"foo": "baz"}
+true
+
+fetch(.notFoo; "baz")
+{"foo": "bar"}
+"baz"
+
+fetch(.notFoo; .fu)
+{"foo": "bar", "fu": "baz"}
+"baz"
+
+fetch(.notFoo.bar; .fu)
+{"foo": {"bar": true}, "fu": "baz"}
+"baz"
+
+fetch(.notFoo; .fu.baz)
+{"foo": "bar", "fu": {"baz": "bor"}}
+"bor"
+
+fetch(.notFoo.bar; .fu.baz)
+{"foo": "bar", "fu": {"baz": "bor"}}
+"bor"
+
+fetch(.foo)
+{"foo": null}
+null
+
+fetch(.notFoo; fetch(.notFooEither; .foo))
+{"foo": true}
+true