dirname: tweak summary wording

* doc/coreutils.texi (dirname invocation): Reword to be more
precise.
* src/dirname.c (usage): Likewise.
* THANKS: Update.
Reported by Filipus Klutiero, bug 6175.

3 files changed, 11 insertions, 6 deletions

diff --git a/THANKS b/THANKS
index 0e1459bda..dce3c94d6 100644
--- a/THANKS
+++ b/THANKS
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ Evan Hunt                           ethanol@armory.com
 Felix Lee                           flee@teleport.com
 Felix Rauch Valenti                 frauch@cse.unsw.edu.au
 Ferdinand                           fw@scenic.mine.nu
+Filipus Klutiero                    chealer@gmail.com
 Fletcher Mattox                     fletcher@cs.utexas.edu
 Florent Bayle                       florent@sarcelle.net
 Florian Schlichting                 fschlich@cis.fu-berlin.de
diff --git a/doc/coreutils.texi b/doc/coreutils.texi
index d1c308524..26b4eba64 100644
--- a/doc/coreutils.texi
+++ b/doc/coreutils.texi
@@ -11991,14 +11991,17 @@ basename include/stdio.h .h
 @cindex non-directory suffix, stripping
 
 @command{dirname} prints all but the final slash-delimited component of
-a string (presumably a file name, but also works on directories).  Synopsis:
+@var{name}.  Slashes on either side of the final component are also
+removed.  If the string contains no slash, @command{dirname} prints
+@samp{.} (meaning the current directory).  Synopsis:
 
 @example
 dirname @var{name}
 @end example
 
-If @var{name} is a single component, @command{dirname} prints @samp{.}
-(meaning the current directory).
+@var{name} need not be a file name, but if it is, this operation
+effectively lists the directory that contains the final component,
+including the case when the final component is itself a directory.
 
 @basenameAndDirname
 
@@ -12017,6 +12020,7 @@ Examples:
 @smallexample
 # Output "/usr/bin".
 dirname /usr/bin/sort
+dirname /usr/bin//.//
 
 # Output ".".
 dirname stdio.h
diff --git a/src/dirname.c b/src/dirname.c
index 4f18fe955..b6fa5877f 100644
--- a/src/dirname.c
+++ b/src/dirname.c
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ Usage: %s NAME\n\
 "),
               program_name, program_name);
       fputs (_("\
-Print NAME with its trailing /component removed; if NAME contains no /'s,\n\
-output `.' (meaning the current directory).\n\
+Output NAME with its last non-slash component and trailing slashes removed;\n\
+if NAME contains no /'s, output `.' (meaning the current directory).\n\
 \n\
 "), stdout);
       fputs (HELP_OPTION_DESCRIPTION, stdout);
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ output `.' (meaning the current directory).\n\
       printf (_("\
 \n\
 Examples:\n\
-  %s /usr/bin/sort  Output \"/usr/bin\".\n\
+  %s /usr/bin/      Output \"/usr\".\n\
   %s stdio.h        Output \".\".\n\
 "),
               program_name, program_name);