diff --git a/Documentation/gitignore.txt b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
index ff5d7f9ed6f..32b227942f8 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitignore.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
@@ -129,7 +129,8 @@ full pathname may have special meaning:
    matches zero or more directories. For example, "`a/**/b`"
    matches "`a/b`", "`a/x/b`", "`a/x/y/b`" and so on.
 
- - Other consecutive asterisks are considered invalid.
+ - Other consecutive asterisks are considered regular asterisks and
+   will match according to the previous rules.
 
 NOTES
 -----
diff --git a/t/t3070-wildmatch.sh b/t/t3070-wildmatch.sh
index dce102130fb..7ba5d35eb27 100755
--- a/t/t3070-wildmatch.sh
+++ b/t/t3070-wildmatch.sh
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ match 0 0 0 0 foobar 'foo\*bar'
 match 1 1 1 1 'f\oo' 'f\\oo'
 match 1 1 1 1 ball '*[al]?'
 match 0 0 0 0 ten '[ten]'
-match 0 0 1 1 ten '**[!te]'
+match 1 1 1 1 ten '**[!te]'
 match 0 0 0 0 ten '**[!ten]'
 match 1 1 1 1 ten 't[a-g]n'
 match 0 0 0 0 ten 't[!a-g]n'
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ match 1 1 1 1 ']' ']'
 # Extended slash-matching features
 match 0 0 1 1 'foo/baz/bar' 'foo*bar'
 match 0 0 1 1 'foo/baz/bar' 'foo**bar'
-match 0 0 1 1 'foobazbar' 'foo**bar'
+match 1 1 1 1 'foobazbar' 'foo**bar'
 match 1 1 1 1 'foo/baz/bar' 'foo/**/bar'
 match 1 1 0 0 'foo/baz/bar' 'foo/**/**/bar'
 match 1 1 1 1 'foo/b/a/z/bar' 'foo/**/bar'
diff --git a/wildmatch.c b/wildmatch.c
index d074c1be104..9e9e2a2f955 100644
--- a/wildmatch.c
+++ b/wildmatch.c
@@ -104,8 +104,8 @@ static int dowild(const uchar *p, const uchar *text, unsigned int flags)
 					    dowild(p + 1, text, flags) == WM_MATCH)
 						return WM_MATCH;
 					match_slash = 1;
-				} else
-					return WM_ABORT_MALFORMED;
+				} else /* WM_PATHNAME is set */
+					match_slash = 0;
 			} else
 				/* without WM_PATHNAME, '*' == '**' */
 				match_slash = flags & WM_PATHNAME ? 0 : 1;
diff --git a/wildmatch.h b/wildmatch.h
index b8c826aa684..59936962982 100644
--- a/wildmatch.h
+++ b/wildmatch.h
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 #define WM_CASEFOLD 1
 #define WM_PATHNAME 2
 
-#define WM_ABORT_MALFORMED 2
 #define WM_NOMATCH 1
 #define WM_MATCH 0
 #define WM_ABORT_ALL -1