diff --git a/src/lib/small/mempool.c b/src/lib/small/mempool.c
index 91c990c1461172fa92d7f23e28361547e8b8000e..ae32cdf9471197211c5b32cec8fbc25bc1a6c17d 100644
--- a/src/lib/small/mempool.c
+++ b/src/lib/small/mempool.c
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ mslab_create(struct mslab *slab, struct mempool *pool)
 {
 	slab->nfree = pool->objcount;
 	slab->pool = pool;
-	slab->untouched_offset = 0;
-	slab->freed_list = 0;
+	slab->free_idx = 0;
+	slab->free_list = 0;
 	/* A bit is set if a slot is free. */
 	memset(slab->map, 0xFF, sizeof(slab->map[0]) * pool->mapsize);
 }
@@ -87,14 +87,14 @@ mslab_alloc(struct mslab *slab)
 	assert(slab->nfree);
 	void *result;
 	uint32_t idx;
-	if (slab->freed_list) {
-		/* return pointer from garbage */
-		idx = mslab_idx(slab, slab->freed_list);
-		result = slab->freed_list;
-		slab->freed_list = *(void **)slab->freed_list;
+	if (slab->free_list) {
+		/* Recycle an object from the garbage pool. */
+		idx = mslab_idx(slab, slab->free_list);
+		result = slab->free_list;
+		slab->free_list = *(void **)slab->free_list;
 	} else {
-		/* return pointer to new object */
-		idx = slab->untouched_offset++;
+		/* Use an object from the "untouched" area of the slab. */
+		idx = slab->free_idx++;
 		result = mslab_obj(slab, idx);
 	}
 
@@ -114,8 +114,8 @@ void
 mslab_free(struct mempool *pool, struct mslab *slab, void *ptr)
 {
 	/* put object to garbage list */
-	*(void **)ptr = slab->freed_list;
-	slab->freed_list = ptr;
+	*(void **)ptr = slab->free_list;
+	slab->free_list = ptr;
 
 	uint32_t idx = mslab_idx(slab, ptr);
 
diff --git a/src/lib/small/mempool.h b/src/lib/small/mempool.h
index d8bb0125016e1d4003bf8d7cb818efd33ec1cae5..d465efa43c2c52d4cd851edd866e11df9b55be38 100644
--- a/src/lib/small/mempool.h
+++ b/src/lib/small/mempool.h
@@ -93,10 +93,10 @@ enum {
 /** mslab - a standard slab formatted to store objects of equal size. */
 struct mslab {
 	struct slab slab;
-	/* Pointer to earlier freed list head */
-	void *freed_list;
-	/** Offset of an object that was never allocated in mslab */
-	uint32_t untouched_offset;
+	/* Head of a list of used but freed objects */
+	void *free_list;
+	/** Index of an object that has never been allocated in mslab */
+	uint32_t free_idx;
 	/** Number of available slots in the slab. */
 	uint32_t nfree;
 	/** Used if this slab is a member of free_slabs tree. */