diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Shared.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Shared.hs
index bb13836f2..77180bd4b 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Shared.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Shared.hs
@@ -553,20 +553,22 @@ compactify' items =
                             _   -> items
            _      -> items
 
--- | Like @compactify'@, but akts on items of definition lists.
+-- | Like @compactify'@, but acts on items of definition lists.
 compactify'DL :: [(Inlines, [Blocks])] -> [(Inlines, [Blocks])]
 compactify'DL items =
   let defs = concatMap snd items
-      defBlocks = reverse $ concatMap B.toList defs
-  in  case defBlocks of
-           (Para x:_) -> if not $ any isPara (drop 1 defBlocks)
-                            then let (t,ds) = last items
-                                     lastDef = B.toList $ last ds
-                                     ds' = init ds ++
-                                          [B.fromList $ init lastDef ++ [Plain x]]
-                                  in init items ++ [(t, ds')]
-                            else items
-           _          -> items
+  in  case reverse (concatMap B.toList defs) of
+           (Para x:xs)
+             | not (any isPara xs) ->
+                   let (t,ds) = last items
+                       lastDef = B.toList $ last ds
+                       ds' = init ds ++
+                             if null lastDef
+                                then [B.fromList lastDef]
+                                else [B.fromList $ init lastDef ++ [Plain x]]
+                    in init items ++ [(t, ds')]
+             | otherwise           -> items
+           _                       -> items
 
 isPara :: Block -> Bool
 isPara (Para _) = True
diff --git a/tests/Tests/Shared.hs b/tests/Tests/Shared.hs
index 8c7c31674..c9e2e21f5 100644
--- a/tests/Tests/Shared.hs
+++ b/tests/Tests/Shared.hs
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ import Text.Pandoc.Shared
 import Test.Framework
 import Tests.Helpers
 import Tests.Arbitrary()
+import Test.Framework.Providers.HUnit
+import Test.HUnit ( assertBool )
+import Text.Pandoc.Builder
+import Data.Monoid
 
 tests :: [Test]
 tests = [ testGroup "normalize"
@@ -13,6 +17,12 @@ tests = [ testGroup "normalize"
           , property "p_normalize_no_trailing_spaces"
               p_normalize_no_trailing_spaces
           ]
+        , testGroup "compactify'DL"
+          [ testCase "compactify'DL with empty def" $
+              assertBool "compactify'DL"
+              (let x = [(str "word", [para (str "def"), mempty])]
+               in  compactify'DL x == x)
+          ]
         ]
 
 p_normalize_blocks_rt :: [Block] -> Bool