diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/physics/cernlib/0001-Use-strerror-rather-than-sys_errlist-to-fix-compilat.patch b/pkgs/development/libraries/physics/cernlib/0001-Use-strerror-rather-than-sys_errlist-to-fix-compilat.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..bc8c77f913c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/physics/cernlib/0001-Use-strerror-rather-than-sys_errlist-to-fix-compilat.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+From a69607c511b6da94cde477283b129cbc9cfdd5a3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Maximilian Bosch <maximilian@mbosch.me>
+Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:32:06 +0200
+Subject: [PATCH] Use `strerror` rather than `sys_errlist` to fix compilation
+ w/glibc-2.32
+
+To quote the release-notes[1]:
+
+  All programs should use
+  strerror or strerror_r instead.
+
+[1] https://sourceware.org/pipermail/libc-announce/2020/000029.html
+---
+ 2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/serror.c         | 10 +---------
+ 2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/socket.c         |  2 +-
+ 2006/src/packlib/kernlib/kernbit/z268/systems.c |  4 ++--
+ 2006/src/pawlib/paw/piafs/piafc.c               |  5 +----
+ 4 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/serror.c b/2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/serror.c
+index 3667c42a..c560e499 100644
+--- a/2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/serror.c
++++ b/2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/serror.c
+@@ -176,15 +176,7 @@ int     n;
+         }
+         else {
+ #if !defined(vms)
+-                if ((n>0) && (n<sys_nerr)) {
+-                        return(sys_errlist[n]);
+-                }
+-                else {
+-                        (void) sprintf(buf,"%s: %d\n",
+- sys_serrlist[SEMAXERR+1-SEBASEOFF],
+-                            n);
+-                        return(buf);
+-                }
++          return strerror(n);
+ #else /* vms */
+ /*
+  * There are (were) some bugs is DEC C compilers (/OPT), just check
+diff --git a/2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/socket.c b/2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/socket.c
+index ceb5bd63..34c2a7bc 100644
+--- a/2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/socket.c
++++ b/2006/src/packlib/cspack/sysreq/socket.c
+@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ char *
+ s_errmsg()                              /* return last error message    */
+ {
+ #if !defined(vms)
+-        return(sys_errlist[errno]);
++        return(strerror(errno));
+ #else /* vms */
+ #if defined(MULTINET) && (MULTINET == 1)
+         return(vms_errno_string());
+diff --git a/2006/src/packlib/kernlib/kernbit/z268/systems.c b/2006/src/packlib/kernlib/kernbit/z268/systems.c
+index 98459459..d1ad63ed 100644
+--- a/2006/src/packlib/kernlib/kernbit/z268/systems.c
++++ b/2006/src/packlib/kernlib/kernbit/z268/systems.c
+@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ int     *ovflw;
+ #endif /* hpux */
+ 
+ 	if ( (ps=(FILE *)popen(command,"r"))==NULL ) {
+-		fprintf(stderr,"systems(): popen(): %s\n",sys_errlist[errno] );
++		fprintf(stderr,"systems(): popen(): %s\n",strerror(errno) );
+ 		*rc= -errno;
+ 		*chars=0        ;
+                 *l=0        ;
+@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ int     *ovflw;
+ 	rcode = fread(buf, 1, buflen , ps );
+ 	if ( rcode < 0 ) {
+ 		fprintf(stderr,"systems(): pipe fread(): %s\n",
+-                                                       sys_errlist[errno] );
++                                                       strerror(errno) );
+ 		buf[0]='\n';
+ 		*rc= -errno;
+                 *chars=0        ;
+diff --git a/2006/src/pawlib/paw/piafs/piafc.c b/2006/src/pawlib/paw/piafs/piafc.c
+index b163f80c..4d8d5528 100644
+--- a/2006/src/pawlib/paw/piafs/piafc.c
++++ b/2006/src/pawlib/paw/piafs/piafc.c
+@@ -1795,10 +1795,7 @@ static void fatalperror(char *msg)
+    extern char  *sys_errlist[];
+ #endif
+ 
+-   if ((unsigned) errno < sys_nerr)
+-      sprintf(buf, "%s: %s", msg, sys_errlist[errno]);
+-   else
+-      sprintf(buf, "%s: Error %d", msg, errno);
++   sprintf(buf, "%s: %s", msg, strerror(errno));
+ 
+    fatal(buf);
+ }
+-- 
+2.25.4
+
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/physics/cernlib/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/physics/cernlib/default.nix
index 8c4d688b697e..3c2cd4c69145 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/physics/cernlib/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/physics/cernlib/default.nix
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   nativeBuildInputs = [ gnumake imake makedepend ];
   sourceRoot = ".";
 
-  patches = [ ./patch.patch ];
+  patches = [ ./patch.patch ./0001-Use-strerror-rather-than-sys_errlist-to-fix-compilat.patch ];
 
   postPatch = ''
     substituteInPlace 2006/src/config/site.def \