diff --git a/django/template/base.py b/django/template/base.py
index e829604418..5615478ea5 100644
--- a/django/template/base.py
+++ b/django/template/base.py
@@ -4,11 +4,13 @@ import re
 from functools import partial
 from importlib import import_module
 from inspect import getargspec, getcallargs
+import warnings
 
 from django.apps import apps
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.template.context import (BaseContext, Context, RequestContext,  # NOQA: imported for backwards compatibility
     ContextPopException)
+from django.utils.deprecation import RemovedInDjango20Warning
 from django.utils.itercompat import is_iterable
 from django.utils.text import (smart_split, unescape_string_literal,
     get_text_list)
@@ -658,6 +660,9 @@ def resolve_variable(path, context):
 
     Deprecated; use the Variable class instead.
     """
+    warnings.warn("resolve_variable() is deprecated. Use django.template."
+                  "Variable(path).resolve(context) instead",
+                  RemovedInDjango20Warning, stacklevel=2)
     return Variable(path).resolve(context)
 
 
diff --git a/docs/internals/deprecation.txt b/docs/internals/deprecation.txt
index 682cb6101a..cc219343a3 100644
--- a/docs/internals/deprecation.txt
+++ b/docs/internals/deprecation.txt
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ about each item can often be found in the release notes of two versions prior.
   :class:`~django.core.management.BaseCommand` instead, which takes no arguments
   by default.
 
+* ``django.template.resolve_variable`` will be removed.
+
 .. _deprecation-removed-in-1.9:
 
 1.9
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.8.txt b/docs/releases/1.8.txt
index 1eafb3337e..381700557e 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.8.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.8.txt
@@ -525,3 +525,10 @@ instead, which takes no arguments by default.
 option ``cache_choices``. This cached querysets between multiple renderings of
 the same ``Form`` object. This option is subject to an accelerated deprecation
 and will be removed in Django 1.9.
+
+``django.template.resolve_variable()``
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The function has been informally marked as "Deprecated" for some time. Replace
+``resolve_variable(path, context)`` with
+``django.template.Variable(path).resolve(context)``.