diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 20496bb0..661290ea 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -31,10 +31,18 @@ project('mu', ['c', 'cpp'],
 
 # installation paths
 prefixdir = get_option('prefix')
-bindir	  = join_paths(prefixdir, get_option('bindir'))
-datadir	  = join_paths(prefixdir, get_option('datadir'))
-mandir	  = join_paths(prefixdir, get_option('mandir'))
-infodir	  = join_paths(prefixdir, get_option('infodir'))
+bindir	  = prefixdir /  get_option('bindir')
+datadir	  = prefixdir / get_option('datadir')
+mandir	  = prefixdir / get_option('mandir')
+infodir	  = prefixdir / get_option('infodir')
+
+# allow for configuring lispdir, as with autotools.
+# default to <p
+if get_option('lispdir') == ''
+  mu4e_lispdir= datadir / join_paths('emacs', 'site-lisp', 'mu4e')
+else
+  mu4e_lispdir= get_option('lispdir') / 'mu4e'
+endif
 
 ################################################################################
 # compilers / flags
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 416fe1a2..587b479c 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -29,3 +29,7 @@ option('emacs',
        type: 'string',
        value: 'emacs',
        description: 'name/path of the emacs executable')
+
+option('lispdir',
+       type: 'string',
+       description: 'path under which to install emacs-lisp files')
diff --git a/mu4e/meson.build b/mu4e/meson.build
index 0431e4f7..27b676b4 100644
--- a/mu4e/meson.build
+++ b/mu4e/meson.build
@@ -14,15 +14,13 @@
 ## along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
 ## Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
 
-# where the lisp goes
-lispdir =  join_paths(datadir, 'emacs', 'site-lisp', 'mu4e')
 
 # generate some build data for use in mu4e
 mu4e_meta = configure_file(
   input: 'mu4e-config.el.in',
   output: 'mu4e-config.el',
   install: true,
-  install_dir: lispdir,
+  install_dir: mu4e_lispdir,
   configuration: {
       'VERSION'         : meson.project_version(),
       # project_build_root() with meson >= 0.56
@@ -79,7 +77,7 @@ foreach src : mu4e_srcs
                 build_by_default: true,
                 input: src,
                 output: target_name,
-                install_dir: lispdir,
+                install_dir: mu4e_lispdir,
                 install: true,
                 command: [emacs,
                           '--no-init-file',
@@ -92,7 +90,7 @@ foreach src : mu4e_srcs
 endforeach
 
 # also install the sources and the config
-install_data(mu4e_srcs, install_dir: lispdir)
+install_data(mu4e_srcs, install_dir: mu4e_lispdir)
 
 # install mu4e-about.org
 install_data('mu4e-about.org', install_dir : join_paths(datadir, 'doc', 'mu'))