diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/src/apply_redirects.ts b/modules/@angular/router/src/apply_redirects.ts
index a517a898d6..3cf14bd031 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/src/apply_redirects.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/src/apply_redirects.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import {merge} from './utils/collection';
 class NoMatch {
   constructor(public segment: UrlSegment = null) {}
 }
-class GlobalRedirect {
+class AbsoluteRedirect {
   constructor(public paths: UrlPathWithParams[]) {}
 }
 
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export function applyRedirects(urlTree: UrlTree, config: RouterConfig): Observab
   try {
     return createUrlTree(urlTree, expandSegment(config, urlTree.root, PRIMARY_OUTLET));
   } catch (e) {
-    if (e instanceof GlobalRedirect) {
+    if (e instanceof AbsoluteRedirect) {
       return createUrlTree(
           urlTree, new UrlSegment([], {[PRIMARY_OUTLET]: new UrlSegment(e.paths, {})}));
     } else if (e instanceof NoMatch) {
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ function expandPathsWithParamsAgainstRouteUsingRedirect(
 function expandWildCardWithParamsAgainstRouteUsingRedirect(route: Route): UrlSegment {
   const newPaths = applyRedirectCommands([], route.redirectTo, {});
   if (route.redirectTo.startsWith('/')) {
-    throw new GlobalRedirect(newPaths);
+    throw new AbsoluteRedirect(newPaths);
   } else {
     return new UrlSegment(newPaths, {});
   }
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ function expandRegularPathWithParamsAgainstRouteUsingRedirect(
   const newPaths =
       applyRedirectCommands(consumedPaths, route.redirectTo, <any>positionalParamSegments);
   if (route.redirectTo.startsWith('/')) {
-    throw new GlobalRedirect(newPaths);
+    throw new AbsoluteRedirect(newPaths);
   } else {
     return expandPathsWithParams(
         segment, routes, newPaths.concat(paths.slice(lastChild)), outlet, false);
diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts b/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
index 560f6b7712..89775f55fb 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ import {Type} from '@angular/core';
  * '/team/11/user/jim', and then will instantiate the team component with the user component
  * in it.
  *
- * If the `redirectTo` value starts with a '/', then it is a global redirect. E.g., if in the
+ * If the `redirectTo` value starts with a '/', then it is an absolute redirect. E.g., if in the
  * example above we change the `redirectTo` to `/user/:name`, the result url will be '/user/jim'.
  *
  * ### Empty Path
diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/test/apply_redirects.spec.ts b/modules/@angular/router/test/apply_redirects.spec.ts
index 129cb529b7..d7c73c5467 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/test/apply_redirects.spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/test/apply_redirects.spec.ts
@@ -115,17 +115,17 @@ describe('applyRedirects', () => {
         '/a/1(aux:c/d)', (t: UrlTree) => { compareTrees(t, tree('/404')); });
   });
 
-  it('should support global redirects', () => {
+  it('should support absolute redirects', () => {
     checkRedirect(
         [
           {
             path: 'a',
             component: ComponentA,
-            children: [{path: 'b/:id', redirectTo: '/global/:id'}]
+            children: [{path: 'b/:id', redirectTo: '/absolute/:id'}]
           },
           {path: '**', component: ComponentC}
         ],
-        '/a/b/1', (t: UrlTree) => { compareTrees(t, tree('/global/1')); });
+        '/a/b/1', (t: UrlTree) => { compareTrees(t, tree('/absolute/1')); });
   });
 
   describe('empty paths', () => {
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ describe('applyRedirects', () => {
           'b', (t: UrlTree) => { compareTrees(t, tree('a/b')); });
     });
 
-    it('redirect from an empty path should work (global redirect)', () => {
+    it('redirect from an empty path should work (absolute redirect)', () => {
       checkRedirect(
           [
             {