diff --git a/doc/manual/change-authors.yml b/doc/manual/change-authors.yml
index 92b782f4e..084e9807e 100644
--- a/doc/manual/change-authors.yml
+++ b/doc/manual/change-authors.yml
@@ -252,6 +252,10 @@ rootile:
 seppel3210:
   github: Seppel3210
 
+sterni:
+  forgejo: sterni
+  github: sternenseemann
+
 stevalkr:
   github: stevalkr
 
diff --git a/doc/manual/rl-next/minimum-lowdown-1.4.md b/doc/manual/rl-next/minimum-lowdown-1.4.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3a3874b59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/manual/rl-next/minimum-lowdown-1.4.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+synopsis: "Lix now requires lowdown 1.4.0 or later"
+issues: []
+cls: [5374]
+category: Packaging
+credits: [sterni]
+---
+
+Support for linking against `lowdown < 1.4.0` has been removed from Lix since
+all supported Nixpkgs channels distribute lowdown 2.0.4 or later.
diff --git a/lix/libcmd/markdown.cc b/lix/libcmd/markdown.cc
index c96287330..3734f2c15 100644
--- a/lix/libcmd/markdown.cc
+++ b/lix/libcmd/markdown.cc
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ std::string renderMarkdownToTerminal(std::string_view markdown, StandardOutputSt
 
     struct lowdown_opts opts{
         .type = LOWDOWN_TERM,
-#ifdef LOWDOWN_SEPARATE_TERM_OPTS
         .term =
             {
                 .cols = lowdown_cols,
@@ -65,14 +64,7 @@ std::string renderMarkdownToTerminal(std::string_view markdown, StandardOutputSt
                 .vmargin = 0,
                 .centre = 0,
             },
-        // maxdepth needs to be part of the ifdefs to match declaration order
         .maxdepth = 20,
-#else
-        .maxdepth = 20,
-        .cols = lowdown_cols,
-        .hmargin = 0,
-        .vmargin = 0,
-#endif /* LOWDOWN_SEPARATE_TERM_OPTS */
         .feat = LOWDOWN_COMMONMARK | LOWDOWN_FENCED | LOWDOWN_DEFLIST | LOWDOWN_TABLES,
 #ifdef LOWDOWN_CONSOLIDATED_OFLAGS
         .oflags = LOWDOWN_NOLINK,
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 171f75695..fc2e348ea 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -376,12 +376,7 @@ curl = dependency('libcurl', 'curl', required : true, include_type : 'system')
 
 editline = dependency('libeditline', 'editline', version : '>=1.14', required : true, include_type : 'system')
 
-lowdown = dependency('lowdown', version : '>=0.9.0', required : true, include_type : 'system')
-
-# TODO(sterni): drop the corresponding #ifdef after NixOS 25.05 is EOL which still distributes lowdown < 1.4.0
-if lowdown.version().version_compare('>= 1.4.0')
-  add_project_arguments('-DLOWDOWN_SEPARATE_TERM_OPTS', language: 'cpp')
-endif
+lowdown = dependency('lowdown', version : '>=1.4.0', required : true, include_type : 'system')
 
 # TODO(sterni): drop the corresponding #ifdef after NixOS 25.11 is EOL which still distributes lowdown < 3.0.0
 if lowdown.version().version_compare('>= 3.0.0')