diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 1db7bc882..98de67893 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1478,21 +1478,36 @@ AC_SUBST(W32SOCKLIBS)
 #
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([checking for cc features])
 if test "$GCC" = yes; then
-    # Note that it is okay to use CFLAGS here because this are just
+    # Check whether gcc does not emit a diagnositc for unknow -Wno-*
+    # options.  This is the case for gcc >= 4.6
+    AC_MSG_CHECKING([if gcc ignores unknown -Wno-* options])
+    AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[
+#if __GNUC__ < 4 || (__GNUC__ == 4 && __GNUC_MINOR__ < 6 )
+#kickerror
+#endif]],[])],[_gcc_silent_wno=yes],[_gcc_silent_wno=no])
+    AC_MSG_RESULT($_gcc_silent_wno)
+
+    # Note that it is okay to use CFLAGS here because these are just
     # warning options and the user should have a chance of overriding
     # them.
     if test "$USE_MAINTAINER_MODE" = "yes"; then
         CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -O3 -Wall -Wcast-align -Wshadow -Wstrict-prototypes"
         CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wformat -Wno-format-y2k -Wformat-security"
-        AC_MSG_CHECKING([if gcc supports -Wno-missing-field-initializers])
-        _gcc_cflags_save=$CFLAGS
-        CFLAGS="-Wno-missing-field-initializers"
-        AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([],[])],_gcc_wopt=yes,_gcc_wopt=no)
-        AC_MSG_RESULT($_gcc_wopt)
-        CFLAGS=$_gcc_cflags_save;
+        if test x"$_gcc_silent_wno" = xyes ; then
+          _gcc_wopt=yes
+        else
+          AC_MSG_CHECKING([if gcc supports -Wno-missing-field-initializers])
+          _gcc_cflags_save=$CFLAGS
+          CFLAGS="-Wno-missing-field-initializers"
+          AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([],[])],
+                            [_gcc_wopt=yes],[_gcc_wopt=no])
+          AC_MSG_RESULT($_gcc_wopt)
+          CFLAGS=$_gcc_cflags_save;
+        fi
         if test x"$_gcc_wopt" = xyes ; then
           CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -W -Wno-sign-compare -Wno-missing-field-initializers"
         fi
+
         AC_MSG_CHECKING([if gcc supports -Wdeclaration-after-statement])
         _gcc_cflags_save=$CFLAGS
         CFLAGS="-Wdeclaration-after-statement"
@@ -1506,12 +1521,17 @@ if test "$GCC" = yes; then
         CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wall"
     fi
 
-    AC_MSG_CHECKING([if gcc supports -Wno-pointer-sign])
-    _gcc_cflags_save=$CFLAGS
-    CFLAGS="-Wno-pointer-sign"
-    AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([],[])],_gcc_psign=yes,_gcc_psign=no)
-    AC_MSG_RESULT($_gcc_psign)
-    CFLAGS=$_gcc_cflags_save;
+    if test x"$_gcc_silent_wno" = xyes ; then
+      _gcc_psign=yes
+    else
+      AC_MSG_CHECKING([if gcc supports -Wno-pointer-sign])
+      _gcc_cflags_save=$CFLAGS
+      CFLAGS="-Wno-pointer-sign"
+      AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([],[])],
+                        [_gcc_psign=yes],[_gcc_psign=no])
+      AC_MSG_RESULT($_gcc_psign)
+      CFLAGS=$_gcc_cflags_save;
+    fi
     if test x"$_gcc_psign" = xyes ; then
        CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wno-pointer-sign"
     fi
@@ -1525,6 +1545,14 @@ if test "$GCC" = yes; then
     if test x"$_gcc_psign" = xyes ; then
        CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wpointer-arith"
     fi
+
+    # The undocumented option -Wno-psabi suppresses the annoying
+    #   "the ABI of passing union with long double has changed in GCC 4.4"
+    # which is emitted in estream-printf.c but entirely irrelvant
+    # because that union is local to the file.
+    if test x"$_gcc_silent_wno" = xyes ; then
+       CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wno-psabi"
+    fi
 fi