diff --git a/project.clj b/project.clj
index 7738a79..c547395 100644
--- a/project.clj
+++ b/project.clj
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   :url "http://example.com/FIXME"
   :license {:name "GPL-2.0-or-later"
             :url "https://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-2.0/"}
-  :dependencies [[org.clojure/clojure "1.10.0"]
+  :dependencies [[org.clojure/clojure "1.8.0"]
                  [org.clojure/math.numeric-tower "0.0.4"]
                  [org.clojure/tools.trace "0.7.10"]
                  [environ "1.1.0"]
diff --git a/src/beowulf/read.clj b/src/beowulf/read.clj
index da35d65..9a91807 100644
--- a/src/beowulf/read.clj
+++ b/src/beowulf/read.clj
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
       fncall := fn-name lsqb args rsqb;
       lsqb := '[';
       rsqb := ']';
-      defn := mexpr opt-space '=' opt-space mexpr;
+      defn := mexpr opt-space <'='> opt-space mexpr;
       cond := lsqb (cond-clause semi-colon opt-space)* cond-clause rsqb;
       cond-clause := expr opt-space arrow opt-space expr;
       arrow := '->';
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
         (case (first p)
           (:arg :expr :coefficient :fn-name :number :sexpr) (simplify (second p) context)
           (:λexpr
-            :args :bindings :body :cond :cond-clause :dot-terminal
+            :args :bindings :body :cond :cond-clause :defn :dot-terminal
             :fncall :octal :quoted-expr :scientific) (map #(simplify % context) p)
           (:arrow :dot :e :lpar :lsqb :opt-space :q :quote :rpar :rsqb
             :semi-colon :sep :space) nil
@@ -195,6 +195,17 @@
       (generate (second p))
       (generate (nth p 2)))))
 
+(defn gen-defn
+  [p]
+  (make-beowulf-list
+    (list
+      'LABEL
+      (generate (second (second p)))
+      (make-beowulf-list
+        (list
+          'LAMBDA
+          (generate (nth (second p) 2))
+          (doall (map generate (rest (rest p)))))))))
 
 (defn gen-dot-terminated-list
   "Generate a list, which may be dot-terminated, from this partial parse tree
@@ -247,6 +258,7 @@
       :body (make-beowulf-list (map generate (rest p)))
       :cond (gen-cond p)
       (:decimal :integer) (read-string (strip-leading-zeros (second p)))
+      :defn (gen-defn p)
       :dotted-pair (make-cons-cell
                      (generate (nth p 1))
                      (generate (nth p 2)))
diff --git a/test/beowulf/mexpr_test.clj b/test/beowulf/mexpr_test.clj
index 3500875..51c062e 100644
--- a/test/beowulf/mexpr_test.clj
+++ b/test/beowulf/mexpr_test.clj
@@ -64,3 +64,4 @@
                        (parse "label[ff;λ[[x];[atom[x]->x; T->ff[car[x]]]]]"))))]
       (is (= actual expected)))))
 
+;; (parse "equal[x;y] = [atom[x]->[atom[y]->eq[x;y]; T->F]; equal[car[x]; car[y]]->equal[cdr[x];cdr[y]];T->F]")