diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 2e23b390..cb8d40f3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 ### Changed
 * Raised the minimum NumPy version to 2.0 at build time and at runtime in `pyproject.toml` and the conda recipe. `mkl_umath` built against NumPy 2 kept NumPy 2 behavior when run with NumPy 1.x, which the previous `numpy >=1.26.4` requirement allowed: complex `sign` returned NumPy 2 results and, on Windows, `patch_numpy_umath()` could not find NumPy loops matching the `int64` `ldexp` loops [gh-289](https://github.com/IntelPython/mkl_umath/pull/289)
 
+### Fixed
+* Fixed the ufunc docstrings, which held only the name of the C macro meant to supply them (e.g. `DOC_NUMPY__CORE_UMATH_SIN`): the docstring header is now generated by the build and included in the generated ufunc code [gh-282](https://github.com/IntelPython/mkl_umath/pull/282)
+
 ### Removed
 * Removed the NumPy 1 code paths: the `USE_NUMPY_2` switch with the NumPy 1 complex `sign` and `ldexp_long` loops, and `ufunc_docstrings_numpy1.py`. Building against NumPy 1 headers now fails with an explicit error [gh-289](https://github.com/IntelPython/mkl_umath/pull/289)
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index b162475d..c9312856 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -141,6 +141,14 @@ gen_umath_c = custom_target(
     command: [py, '@INPUT@', '-o', '@OUTPUT@']
 )
 
+gen_umath_doc_h = custom_target(
+    '_umath_doc_generated',
+    output: '_umath_doc_generated.h',
+    input: 'mkl_umath/generate_umath_doc.py',
+    command: [py, '@INPUT@', '-o', '@OUTPUT@'],
+    depend_files: ['mkl_umath/ufunc_docstrings_numpy2.py']
+)
+
 gen_loops_h = custom_target(
     'mkl_umath_loops_h',
     output: ['mkl_umath_loops.h'],
@@ -189,7 +197,10 @@ loops_dep = declare_dependency(link_with: mkl_umath_loops)
 
 py.extension_module(
     '_ufuncs',
-    sources: ['mkl_umath/src/ufuncsmodule.c', gen_umath_c, gen_loops_h],
+    sources: [
+        'mkl_umath/src/ufuncsmodule.c', gen_umath_c, gen_umath_doc_h,
+        gen_loops_h
+    ],
     include_directories: inc_np,
     dependencies: [mkl_dep, loops_dep],
     c_args: c_args + ['-DNPY_NO_DEPRECATED_API=NPY_1_7_API_VERSION'],
diff --git a/mkl_umath/generate_umath.py b/mkl_umath/generate_umath.py
index 25316e60..5f839344 100644
--- a/mkl_umath/generate_umath.py
+++ b/mkl_umath/generate_umath.py
@@ -29,8 +29,7 @@
 # 1) The `defdict` dictionary is completely different.
 # 2) In the `make_arrays` function, `cfunc_fname = f"{tname}_*"` is changed to
 # `cfunc_fname = f"mkl_umath_{tname}_*"`
-# 3) In the `make_ufuncs` function, line 988: `{doc}` is changed to `"{doc}"`
-# 4) In the `make_code` function, the string used there is different.
+# 3) In the `make_code` function, the string used there is different.
 
 """
 Generate the code to build all the internal ufuncs. At the base is the defdict:
@@ -1151,7 +1150,7 @@ def make_ufuncs(funcdict):
             f = PyUFunc_FromFuncAndDataAndSignatureAndIdentity(
                 {funcs}, {data}, {signatures}, {nloops},
                 {nin}, {nout}, {identity}, "{name}",
-                "{doc}", 0, {sig}, identity
+                {doc}, 0, {sig}, identity
             );
             if ({has_identity}) {{
                 Py_DECREF(identity);
@@ -1244,6 +1243,7 @@ def make_code(funcdict, filename):
     #include "numpy/arrayobject.h"
     #include "numpy/ufuncobject.h"
     #include "mkl_umath_loops.h"
+    #include "_umath_doc_generated.h"
     %s
 
     static int
diff --git a/mkl_umath/tests/test_basic.py b/mkl_umath/tests/test_basic.py
index 8433428c..9e1bdee7 100644
--- a/mkl_umath/tests/test_basic.py
+++ b/mkl_umath/tests/test_basic.py
@@ -202,3 +202,11 @@ def test_absolute_nan_signbit(size, dtype):
             f"absolute({sign}nan) must be +nan for "
             f"{dtype.__name__} at size {size}"
         )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("func", umaths)
+def test_docstring(func):
+    # the ufunc must carry the docstring text, not the name of its C macro
+    doc = getattr(mu, func).__doc__
+    assert "DOC_" not in doc, f"'{func}' docstring is an unexpanded macro"
+    assert "Parameters" in doc, f"'{func}' docstring is missing its body"