diff --git a/src/librustc_driver/lib.rs b/src/librustc_driver/lib.rs
index 6972bdac5e1bc..cb001688da286 100644
--- a/src/librustc_driver/lib.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_driver/lib.rs
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ use rustc::session::config::nightly_options;
 use rustc::session::early_error;
 use rustc::lint::Lint;
 use rustc::lint;
-use rustc_metadata::loader;
+use rustc_metadata::locator;
 use rustc_metadata::cstore::CStore;
 use rustc::util::common::time;
 
@@ -578,8 +578,7 @@ impl RustcDefaultCalls {
                 &Input::File(ref ifile) => {
                     let path = &(*ifile);
                     let mut v = Vec::new();
-                    loader::list_file_metadata(&sess.target.target, path, &mut v)
-                        .unwrap();
+                    locator::list_file_metadata(&sess.target.target, path, &mut v).unwrap();
                     println!("{}", String::from_utf8(v).unwrap());
                 }
                 &Input::Str { .. } => {
diff --git a/src/librustc_metadata/creader.rs b/src/librustc_metadata/creader.rs
index c016f01b505ab..7ae3f6f81079e 100644
--- a/src/librustc_metadata/creader.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_metadata/creader.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 //! Validates all used crates and extern libraries and loads their metadata
 
 use cstore::{self, CStore, CrateSource, MetadataBlob};
-use loader::{self, CratePaths};
+use locator::{self, CratePaths};
 use macro_import;
 use schema::CrateRoot;
 
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ impl<'a> CrateLoader<'a> {
             Some(cnum) => LoadResult::Previous(cnum),
             None => {
                 info!("falling back to a load");
-                let mut load_ctxt = loader::Context {
+                let mut locate_ctxt = locator::Context {
                     sess: self.sess,
                     span: span,
                     ident: ident,
@@ -368,9 +368,9 @@ impl<'a> CrateLoader<'a> {
                     rejected_via_version: vec!(),
                     should_match_name: true,
                 };
-                match self.load(&mut load_ctxt) {
+                match self.load(&mut locate_ctxt) {
                     Some(result) => result,
-                    None => load_ctxt.report_load_errs(),
+                    None => locate_ctxt.report_errs(),
                 }
             }
         };
@@ -390,8 +390,8 @@ impl<'a> CrateLoader<'a> {
         }
     }
 
-    fn load(&mut self, loader: &mut loader::Context) -> Option<LoadResult> {
-        let library = match loader.maybe_load_library_crate() {
+    fn load(&mut self, locate_ctxt: &mut locator::Context) -> Option<LoadResult> {
+        let library = match locate_ctxt.maybe_load_library_crate() {
             Some(lib) => lib,
             None => return None,
         };
@@ -405,11 +405,11 @@ impl<'a> CrateLoader<'a> {
         // don't want to match a host crate against an equivalent target one
         // already loaded.
         let root = library.metadata.get_root();
-        if loader.triple == self.sess.opts.target_triple {
+        if locate_ctxt.triple == self.sess.opts.target_triple {
             let mut result = LoadResult::Loaded(library);
             self.cstore.iter_crate_data(|cnum, data| {
                 if data.name() == root.name && root.hash == data.hash() {
-                    assert!(loader.hash.is_none());
+                    assert!(locate_ctxt.hash.is_none());
                     info!("load success, going to previous cnum: {}", cnum);
                     result = LoadResult::Previous(cnum);
                 }
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ impl<'a> CrateLoader<'a> {
         let mut target_only = false;
         let ident = info.ident.clone();
         let name = info.name.clone();
-        let mut load_ctxt = loader::Context {
+        let mut locate_ctxt = locator::Context {
             sess: self.sess,
             span: span,
             ident: &ident[..],
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ impl<'a> CrateLoader<'a> {
             rejected_via_version: vec!(),
             should_match_name: true,
         };
-        let library = self.load(&mut load_ctxt).or_else(|| {
+        let library = self.load(&mut locate_ctxt).or_else(|| {
             if !is_cross {
                 return None
             }
@@ -519,15 +519,15 @@ impl<'a> CrateLoader<'a> {
             target_only = true;
             should_link = info.should_link;
 
-            load_ctxt.target = &self.sess.target.target;
-            load_ctxt.triple = target_triple;
-            load_ctxt.filesearch = self.sess.target_filesearch(PathKind::Crate);
+            locate_ctxt.target = &self.sess.target.target;
+            locate_ctxt.triple = target_triple;
+            locate_ctxt.filesearch = self.sess.target_filesearch(PathKind::Crate);
 
-            self.load(&mut load_ctxt)
+            self.load(&mut locate_ctxt)
         });
         let library = match library {
             Some(l) => l,
-            None => load_ctxt.report_load_errs(),
+            None => locate_ctxt.report_errs(),
         };
 
         let (dylib, metadata) = match library {
diff --git a/src/librustc_metadata/cstore.rs b/src/librustc_metadata/cstore.rs
index 038d0f73d5ce8..a87e61c4c944c 100644
--- a/src/librustc_metadata/cstore.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_metadata/cstore.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 // The crate store - a central repo for information collected about external
 // crates and libraries
 
-use loader;
+use locator;
 use schema;
 
 use rustc::dep_graph::DepGraph;
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ pub type CrateNumMap = IndexVec<CrateNum, CrateNum>;
 
 pub enum MetadataBlob {
     Inflated(Bytes),
-    Archive(loader::ArchiveMetadata),
+    Archive(locator::ArchiveMetadata),
 }
 
 /// Holds information about a syntax_pos::FileMap imported from another crate.
diff --git a/src/librustc_metadata/cstore_impl.rs b/src/librustc_metadata/cstore_impl.rs
index 54664b9c04046..7637b769f9377 100644
--- a/src/librustc_metadata/cstore_impl.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_metadata/cstore_impl.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 
 use cstore;
 use encoder;
-use loader;
+use locator;
 use schema;
 
 use rustc::middle::cstore::{InlinedItem, CrateStore, CrateSource, ExternCrate};
@@ -497,12 +497,12 @@ impl<'tcx> CrateStore<'tcx> for cstore::CStore {
 
     fn metadata_filename(&self) -> &str
     {
-        loader::METADATA_FILENAME
+        locator::METADATA_FILENAME
     }
 
     fn metadata_section_name(&self, target: &Target) -> &str
     {
-        loader::meta_section_name(target)
+        locator::meta_section_name(target)
     }
 
     fn used_crates(&self, prefer: LinkagePreference) -> Vec<(CrateNum, Option<PathBuf>)>
diff --git a/src/librustc_metadata/lib.rs b/src/librustc_metadata/lib.rs
index cc78dafd7ed25..c0fc1a7065cc0 100644
--- a/src/librustc_metadata/lib.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_metadata/lib.rs
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ mod schema;
 
 pub mod creader;
 pub mod cstore;
-pub mod loader;
+pub mod locator;
 pub mod macro_import;
 
 __build_diagnostic_array! { librustc_metadata, DIAGNOSTICS }
diff --git a/src/librustc_metadata/loader.rs b/src/librustc_metadata/locator.rs
similarity index 99%
rename from src/librustc_metadata/loader.rs
rename to src/librustc_metadata/locator.rs
index a5e08c77eaa7a..e684cd16366ec 100644
--- a/src/librustc_metadata/loader.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_metadata/locator.rs
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@
 //!
 //! That's the general overview of loading crates in the compiler, but it's by
 //! no means all of the necessary details. Take a look at the rest of
-//! metadata::loader or metadata::creader for all the juicy details!
+//! metadata::locator or metadata::creader for all the juicy details!
 
 use cstore::MetadataBlob;
 use creader::Library;
@@ -310,10 +310,10 @@ impl<'a> Context<'a> {
     }
 
     pub fn load_library_crate(&mut self) -> Library {
-        self.find_library_crate().unwrap_or_else(|| self.report_load_errs())
+        self.find_library_crate().unwrap_or_else(|| self.report_errs())
     }
 
-    pub fn report_load_errs(&mut self) -> ! {
+    pub fn report_errs(&mut self) -> ! {
         let add = match self.root {
             &None => String::new(),
             &Some(ref r) => format!(" which `{}` depends on",