diff --git a/doc/fixes37.0 b/doc/fixes37.0
index ec27be6e5..175c0ee9b 100644
--- a/doc/fixes37.0
+++ b/doc/fixes37.0
@@ -920,6 +920,9 @@ unpaid shop-owned glob that shrank to nothing had weight 0 which triggered
 	billing, the empty weight was shown to player if 'wizweight' was On
 if 'showrace' was On and invisible hero couldn't see invisible so didn't see
 	self, the color of wharever could be seen underneath changed to white
+in wizard mode, a poly'd priest/priestess attempting to polymorph into priest
+	or priestess in order to rehumanize became a new man or woman instead
+	because "priest" matched "aligned cleric" rather than the role monster
 
 curses: 'msg_window' option wasn't functional for curses unless the binary
 	also included tty support
diff --git a/src/polyself.c b/src/polyself.c
index e3c8925b0..38f9624c5 100644
--- a/src/polyself.c
+++ b/src/polyself.c
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ newman(void)
 void
 polyself(int psflags)
 {
-    char buf[BUFSZ] = DUMMY;
+    char buf[BUFSZ];
     int old_light, new_light, mntmp, class, tryct, gvariant = NEUTRAL;
     boolean forcecontrol = (psflags == 1),
             monsterpoly = (psflags == 2),
@@ -434,6 +434,7 @@ polyself(int psflags)
         goto do_vampyr;
 
     if (controllable_poly || forcecontrol) {
+        buf[0] = '\0';
         tryct = 5;
         do {
             mntmp = NON_PM;
@@ -467,7 +468,14 @@ polyself(int psflags)
                     pline("I've never heard of such monsters.");
                 else
                     You_cant("polymorph into any of those.");
-            } else if (wizard && Upolyd && mntmp == u.umonster) {
+            } else if (wizard && Upolyd
+                       && (mntmp == u.umonster
+                           /* "priest" and "priestess" match the monster
+                              rather than the role; override that unless
+                              the text explicitly contains "aligned" */
+                           || (u.umonster == PM_CLERIC
+                               && mntmp == PM_ALIGNED_CLERIC
+                               && !strstri(buf, "aligned")))) {
                 /* in wizard mode, picking own role while poly'd reverts to
                    normal without newman()'s chance of level or sex change */
                 rehumanize();