diff --git a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/System.java b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/System.java
index dead2892e1c..6de8508d248 100644
--- a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/System.java
+++ b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/System.java
@@ -753,7 +753,10 @@ public final class System {
*
{@systemProperty java.specification.name} |
* Java Runtime Environment specification name |
* {@systemProperty java.class.version} |
- * Java class format version number |
+ * {@linkplain java.lang.reflect.ClassFileFormatVersion#latest() Latest}
+ * Java class file format version recognized by the Java runtime as {@code "MAJOR.MINOR"}
+ * where {@link java.lang.reflect.ClassFileFormatVersion#major() MAJOR} and {@code MINOR}
+ * are both formatted as decimal integers |
* {@systemProperty java.class.path} |
* Java class path (refer to
* {@link ClassLoader#getSystemClassLoader()} for details) |
diff --git a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/reflect/ClassFileFormatVersion.java b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/reflect/ClassFileFormatVersion.java
index 81ceaa96f50..c195ca9ad9b 100644
--- a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/reflect/ClassFileFormatVersion.java
+++ b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/reflect/ClassFileFormatVersion.java
@@ -36,6 +36,13 @@ package java.lang.reflect;
* added to model future releases of the Java Virtual Machine
* Specification.
*
+ * @apiNote
+ * The complete version used in a class file includes a major version
+ * and a minor version; this enum only models the major version. A
+ * Java virtual machine implementation is required to support a range
+ * of major versions; see the corresponding edition of the The
+ * Java Virtual Machine Specification for details.
+ *
* @since 20
* @see System#getProperties System property {@code java.class.version}
* @see java.compiler/javax.lang.model.SourceVersion
@@ -64,7 +71,7 @@ public enum ClassFileFormatVersion {
RELEASE_1(45),
/**
- * The version recognized by the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition,
+ * The version introduced by the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition,
* v 1.2.
*
* The format described in The Java Virtual Machine
@@ -74,19 +81,19 @@ public enum ClassFileFormatVersion {
RELEASE_2(46),
/**
- * The version recognized by the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition,
+ * The version introduced by the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition,
* v 1.3.
*/
RELEASE_3(47),
/**
- * The version recognized by the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition,
+ * The version introduced by the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition,
* v 1.4.
*/
RELEASE_4(48),
/**
- * The version recognized by the Java 2 Platform, Standard
+ * The version introduced by the Java 2 Platform, Standard
* Edition 5.0.
*
* @see