diff --git a/changes/bug19505 b/changes/bug19505
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58f1ea0d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug19505
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes (documentation):
+    - Fix the description of the --passphrase-fd option in the tor-gencert
+      manpage.  The option is used to pass the number of a file descriptor to
+      read the passphrase from, not to read the file descriptor from.  Fixes
+      bug 19505.
diff --git a/doc/tor-gencert.1.txt b/doc/tor-gencert.1.txt
index aa61ec3ec..6bba548b8 100644
--- a/doc/tor-gencert.1.txt
+++ b/doc/tor-gencert.1.txt
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ OPTIONS
     Number of months that the certificate should be valid. Default: 12.
 
 **--passphrase-fd** __FILEDES__::
-    Filedescriptor to read the file descriptor from. Ends at the first NUL or
+    Filedescriptor to read the passphrase from. Ends at the first NUL or
     newline. Default: read from the terminal.
 
 **-a** __address__:__port__::