diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index 7773abf..65edf71 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ typedef enum {
    VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_PCI_ORIG_STATES = (1<<18),
    VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_ALLOW_ROM = (1<<19),
    VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_ALLOW_BOOT = (1<<20),
-   VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STARTTIME = (1 << 21)
+   VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_BASEDATE = (1 << 21),
 } virDomainXMLInternalFlags;
 
 VIR_ENUM_IMPL(virDomainTaint, VIR_DOMAIN_TAINT_LAST,
@@ -11195,11 +11195,11 @@ virDomainDefParseXML(xmlDocPtr xml,
     }
 
     if (def->clock.offset == VIR_DOMAIN_CLOCK_OFFSET_VARIABLE &&
-        flags & VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STARTTIME) {
-        if (virXPathULongLong("number(./clock/@starttime)", ctxt,
-                              &def->clock.data.variable.starttime) < 0) {
+        flags & VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_BASEDATE) {
+        if (virXPathULongLong("number(./clock/@basedate)", ctxt,
+                              &def->clock.data.variable.basedate) < 0) {
             virReportError(VIR_ERR_XML_ERROR, "%s",
-                           _("invalid starttime"));
+                           _("invalid basedate"));
             goto error;
         }
     }
@@ -15800,7 +15800,7 @@ virDomainResourceDefFormat(virBufferPtr buf,
 verify(((VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STATUS |
          VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_ACTUAL_NET |
          VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_PCI_ORIG_STATES |
-         VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STARTTIME)
+         VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_BASEDATE)
         & DUMPXML_FLAGS) == 0);
 
 /* This internal version can accept VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_*,
@@ -15823,7 +15823,7 @@ virDomainDefFormatInternal(virDomainDefPtr def,
                   VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STATUS |
                   VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_ACTUAL_NET |
                   VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_PCI_ORIG_STATES |
-                  VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STARTTIME,
+                  VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_BASEDATE,
                   -1);
 
     if (!(type = virDomainVirtTypeToString(def->virtType))) {
@@ -16222,9 +16222,9 @@ virDomainDefFormatInternal(virDomainDefPtr def,
                           def->clock.data.variable.adjustment,
                           virDomainClockBasisTypeToString(def->clock.data.variable.basis));
 
-        if (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STARTTIME)
-            virBufferAsprintf(buf, " starttime='%llu'",
-                              def->clock.data.variable.starttime);
+        if (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_BASEDATE)
+            virBufferAsprintf(buf, " basedate='%llu'",
+                              def->clock.data.variable.basedate);
         break;
     case VIR_DOMAIN_CLOCK_OFFSET_TIMEZONE:
         virBufferEscapeString(buf, " timezone='%s'", def->clock.data.timezone);
@@ -16604,7 +16604,7 @@ virDomainSaveStatus(virDomainXMLOptionPtr xmlopt,
                           VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STATUS |
                           VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_ACTUAL_NET |
                           VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_PCI_ORIG_STATES |
-                          VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STARTTIME);
+                          VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_BASEDATE);
 
     int ret = -1;
     char *xml;
@@ -16693,7 +16693,7 @@ virDomainObjListLoadStatus(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
                                       VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STATUS |
                                       VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_ACTUAL_NET |
                                       VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_PCI_ORIG_STATES |
-                                      VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_STARTTIME)))
+                                      VIR_DOMAIN_XML_INTERNAL_BASEDATE)))
         goto error;
 
     virUUIDFormat(obj->def->uuid, uuidstr);
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.h b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
index cca92b4..b8edb1e 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
@@ -1768,8 +1768,10 @@ struct _virDomainClockDef {
             long long adjustment;
             int basis;
 
-            /* Store the start time of guest process, internal only */
-            unsigned long long starttime;
+            /* Store the base date (-rtc base=$date, in seconds
+             * since the Epoch) of guest process, internal only
+             */
+            unsigned long long basedate;
         } variable;
 
         /* Timezone name, when
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index 9254525..7a445cf 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -5519,7 +5519,7 @@ qemuBuildClockArgStr(virDomainClockDefPtr def)
         gmtime_r(&now, &nowbits);
 
         /* Store the starttime of qemu process */
-        def->data.variable.starttime = now;
+        def->data.variable.basedate = now;
 
         virBufferAsprintf(&buf, "base=%d-%02d-%02dT%02d:%02d:%02d",
                           nowbits.tm_year + 1900,
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
index 39c62b3..3d6c06d 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
@@ -805,7 +805,7 @@ qemuProcessHandleRTCChange(qemuMonitorPtr mon ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
     if (vm->def->clock.offset == VIR_DOMAIN_CLOCK_OFFSET_VARIABLE) {
         time_t now = time(NULL);
 
-        offset += vm->def->clock.data.variable.starttime -
+        offset += vm->def->clock.data.variable.basedate -
                   (unsigned long long)now;
     }