diff --git a/include/wx/version.h b/include/wx/version.h
index 0eb62becaf..bec1dea2f6 100644
--- a/include/wx/version.h
+++ b/include/wx/version.h
@@ -28,6 +28,19 @@
 /*  nothing to update below this line when updating the version */
 /*  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
+/* Users can pre-define wxABI_VERSION to a lower value in their
+ * makefile/project settings to compile code that will be binary compatible
+ * with earlier versions of the ABI within the same minor version (between
+ * minor versions binary compatibility breaks anyway). The default is the
+ * version of wxWidgets being used. A single number with two decimal digits
+ * for each component, e.g. 20601 for 2.6.1 */
+#ifndef wxABI_VERSION
+#define wxABI_VERSION ( \
+            wxMAJOR_VERSION * 10000 + \
+            wxMINOR_VERSION * 100 + \
+            wxRELEASE_NUMBER )
+#endif
+
 /*  helpers for wxVERSION_NUM_XXX */
 #define wxSTRINGIZE(x)  #x
 #define wxMAKE_VERSION_STRING(x, y, z) \
diff --git a/src/common/appbase.cpp b/src/common/appbase.cpp
index 0892aab62d..e01600229f 100644
--- a/src/common/appbase.cpp
+++ b/src/common/appbase.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@
 // License:     wxWindows license
 ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
+// wxABI_VERSION can be defined when compiling applications but it should be
+// left undefined when compiling the library itself, it is then set to the 
+// library's current version in version.h
+#ifdef wxABI_VERSION
+#error "wxABI_VERSION should not be defined when compiling the library"
+#endif
+
 // ============================================================================
 // declarations
 // ============================================================================