diff --git a/include/libvirt/libvirt-nodedev.h b/include/libvirt/libvirt-nodedev.h
index 77d814935e..33eb46b3cd 100644
--- a/include/libvirt/libvirt-nodedev.h
+++ b/include/libvirt/libvirt-nodedev.h
@@ -131,6 +131,10 @@ virNodeDevicePtr        virNodeDeviceCreateXML  (virConnectPtr conn,
 
 int                     virNodeDeviceDestroy    (virNodeDevicePtr dev);
 
+virNodeDevicePtr virNodeDeviceDefineXML(virConnectPtr conn,
+                                        const char *xmlDesc,
+                                        unsigned int flags);
+
 /**
  * VIR_NODE_DEVICE_EVENT_CALLBACK:
  *
diff --git a/src/driver-nodedev.h b/src/driver-nodedev.h
index d0fc7f19cf..16d787f3fc 100644
--- a/src/driver-nodedev.h
+++ b/src/driver-nodedev.h
@@ -74,6 +74,11 @@ typedef virNodeDevicePtr
 typedef int
 (*virDrvNodeDeviceDestroy)(virNodeDevicePtr dev);
 
+typedef virNodeDevicePtr
+(*virDrvNodeDeviceDefineXML)(virConnectPtr conn,
+                             const char *xmlDesc,
+                             unsigned int flags);
+
 typedef int
 (*virDrvConnectNodeDeviceEventRegisterAny)(virConnectPtr conn,
                                            virNodeDevicePtr dev,
@@ -113,4 +118,5 @@ struct _virNodeDeviceDriver {
     virDrvNodeDeviceListCaps nodeDeviceListCaps;
     virDrvNodeDeviceCreateXML nodeDeviceCreateXML;
     virDrvNodeDeviceDestroy nodeDeviceDestroy;
+    virDrvNodeDeviceDefineXML nodeDeviceDefineXML;
 };
diff --git a/src/libvirt-nodedev.c b/src/libvirt-nodedev.c
index fb707b570f..88f092c35e 100644
--- a/src/libvirt-nodedev.c
+++ b/src/libvirt-nodedev.c
@@ -737,6 +737,48 @@ virNodeDeviceDestroy(virNodeDevicePtr dev)
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * virNodeDeviceDefineXML:
+ * @conn: pointer to the hypervisor connection
+ * @xmlDesc: string containing an XML description of the device to be defined
+ * @flags: extra flags; not used yet, so callers should always pass 0
+ *
+ * Define a new device on the VM host machine, for example, a mediated device
+ *
+ * virNodeDeviceFree should be used to free the resources after the
+ * node device object is no longer needed.
+ *
+ * Returns a node device object if successful, NULL in case of failure
+ */
+virNodeDevicePtr
+virNodeDeviceDefineXML(virConnectPtr conn,
+                       const char *xmlDesc,
+                       unsigned int flags)
+{
+    VIR_DEBUG("conn=%p, xmlDesc=%s, flags=0x%x", conn, NULLSTR(xmlDesc), flags);
+
+    virResetLastError();
+
+    virCheckConnectReturn(conn, NULL);
+    virCheckReadOnlyGoto(conn->flags, error);
+    virCheckNonNullArgGoto(xmlDesc, error);
+
+    if (conn->nodeDeviceDriver &&
+        conn->nodeDeviceDriver->nodeDeviceDefineXML) {
+        virNodeDevice *dev = conn->nodeDeviceDriver->nodeDeviceDefineXML(conn, xmlDesc, flags);
+        if (!dev)
+            goto error;
+        return dev;
+    }
+
+    virReportUnsupportedError();
+
+ error:
+    virDispatchError(conn);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+
 /**
  * virConnectNodeDeviceEventRegisterAny:
  * @conn: pointer to the connection
diff --git a/src/libvirt_public.syms b/src/libvirt_public.syms
index 51a3d7265a..41f4aaf0fa 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_public.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_public.syms
@@ -889,4 +889,9 @@ LIBVIRT_7.2.0 {
         virDomainStartDirtyRateCalc;
 } LIBVIRT_7.1.0;
 
+LIBVIRT_7.3.0 {
+    global:
+        virNodeDeviceDefineXML;
+} LIBVIRT_7.2.0;
+
 # .... define new API here using predicted next version number ....
diff --git a/src/node_device/node_device_driver.c b/src/node_device/node_device_driver.c
index de59c71b54..64e84e4faf 100644
--- a/src/node_device/node_device_driver.c
+++ b/src/node_device/node_device_driver.c
@@ -776,6 +776,27 @@ virMdevctlStart(virNodeDeviceDefPtr def, char **uuid, char **errmsg)
 }
 
 
+static int
+virMdevctlDefine(virNodeDeviceDefPtr def, char **uuid, char **errmsg)
+{
+    int status;
+    g_autoptr(virCommand) cmd = nodeDeviceGetMdevctlDefineCommand(def, uuid, errmsg);
+
+    if (!cmd)
+        return -1;
+
+    /* an auto-generated uuid is returned via stdout if no uuid is specified in
+     * the mdevctl args */
+    if (virCommandRun(cmd, &status) < 0 || status != 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    /* remove newline */
+    *uuid = g_strstrip(*uuid);
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
 static virNodeDevicePtr
 nodeDeviceCreateXMLMdev(virConnectPtr conn,
                         virNodeDeviceDefPtr def)
@@ -1116,6 +1137,57 @@ nodeDeviceDestroy(virNodeDevicePtr device)
     return ret;
 }
 
+virNodeDevice*
+nodeDeviceDefineXML(virConnect *conn,
+                    const char *xmlDesc,
+                    unsigned int flags)
+{
+    g_autoptr(virNodeDeviceDef) def = NULL;
+    virNodeDevice *device = NULL;
+    const char *virt_type = NULL;
+    g_autofree char *uuid = NULL;
+    g_autofree char *errmsg = NULL;
+
+    virCheckFlags(0, NULL);
+
+    if (nodeDeviceWaitInit() < 0)
+        return NULL;
+
+    virt_type  = virConnectGetType(conn);
+
+    if (!(def = virNodeDeviceDefParseString(xmlDesc, CREATE_DEVICE, virt_type)))
+        return NULL;
+
+    if (virNodeDeviceDefineXMLEnsureACL(conn, def) < 0)
+        return NULL;
+
+    if (!nodeDeviceHasCapability(def, VIR_NODE_DEV_CAP_MDEV)) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
+                       _("Unsupported device type"));
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    if (!def->parent) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_XML_ERROR, "%s",
+                       _("cannot define a mediated device without a parent"));
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    if (virMdevctlDefine(def, &uuid, &errmsg) < 0) {
+        if (errmsg)
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                           _("Unable to define mediated device: %s"), errmsg);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    def->caps->data.mdev.uuid = g_strdup(uuid);
+    mdevGenerateDeviceName(def);
+    device = nodeDeviceFindNewMediatedDevice(conn, uuid);
+
+    return device;
+}
+
+
 
 int
 nodeConnectNodeDeviceEventRegisterAny(virConnectPtr conn,
diff --git a/src/node_device/node_device_driver.h b/src/node_device/node_device_driver.h
index 99967fb810..15f8a2a2ab 100644
--- a/src/node_device/node_device_driver.h
+++ b/src/node_device/node_device_driver.h
@@ -102,6 +102,11 @@ nodeDeviceCreateXML(virConnectPtr conn,
 int
 nodeDeviceDestroy(virNodeDevicePtr dev);
 
+virNodeDevice*
+nodeDeviceDefineXML(virConnect *conn,
+                    const char *xmlDesc,
+                    unsigned int flags);
+
 int
 nodeConnectNodeDeviceEventRegisterAny(virConnectPtr conn,
                                       virNodeDevicePtr dev,
diff --git a/src/node_device/node_device_udev.c b/src/node_device/node_device_udev.c
index 8a96681f07..20507c73aa 100644
--- a/src/node_device/node_device_udev.c
+++ b/src/node_device/node_device_udev.c
@@ -2325,6 +2325,7 @@ static virNodeDeviceDriver udevNodeDeviceDriver = {
     .nodeDeviceListCaps = nodeDeviceListCaps, /* 0.7.3 */
     .nodeDeviceCreateXML = nodeDeviceCreateXML, /* 0.7.3 */
     .nodeDeviceDestroy = nodeDeviceDestroy, /* 0.7.3 */
+    .nodeDeviceDefineXML = nodeDeviceDefineXML, /* 7.2.0 */
 };
 
 
diff --git a/src/remote/remote_driver.c b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
index 62ada08344..15c592b5b5 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_driver.c
+++ b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
@@ -8696,6 +8696,7 @@ static virNodeDeviceDriver node_device_driver = {
     .nodeDeviceNumOfCaps = remoteNodeDeviceNumOfCaps, /* 0.5.0 */
     .nodeDeviceListCaps = remoteNodeDeviceListCaps, /* 0.5.0 */
     .nodeDeviceCreateXML = remoteNodeDeviceCreateXML, /* 0.6.3 */
+    .nodeDeviceDefineXML = remoteNodeDeviceDefineXML, /* 7.2.0 */
     .nodeDeviceDestroy = remoteNodeDeviceDestroy /* 0.6.3 */
 };
 
diff --git a/src/remote/remote_protocol.x b/src/remote/remote_protocol.x
index 743c21b316..f47b5e6998 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_protocol.x
+++ b/src/remote/remote_protocol.x
@@ -2145,6 +2145,15 @@ struct remote_node_device_destroy_args {
     remote_nonnull_string name;
 };
 
+struct remote_node_device_define_xml_args {
+    remote_nonnull_string xml_desc;
+    unsigned int flags;
+};
+
+struct remote_node_device_define_xml_ret {
+    remote_nonnull_node_device dev;
+};
+
 
 /*
  * Events Register/Deregister:
@@ -6745,5 +6754,11 @@ enum remote_procedure {
      * @generate: both
      * @acl: domain:write
      */
-    REMOTE_PROC_DOMAIN_START_DIRTY_RATE_CALC = 427
+    REMOTE_PROC_DOMAIN_START_DIRTY_RATE_CALC = 427,
+
+    /**
+     * @generate: both
+     * @acl: node_device:write
+     */
+    REMOTE_PROC_NODE_DEVICE_DEFINE_XML = 428
 };
diff --git a/src/remote_protocol-structs b/src/remote_protocol-structs
index d13dc81a82..3488659da1 100644
--- a/src/remote_protocol-structs
+++ b/src/remote_protocol-structs
@@ -1600,6 +1600,13 @@ struct remote_node_device_create_xml_ret {
 struct remote_node_device_destroy_args {
         remote_nonnull_string      name;
 };
+struct remote_node_device_define_xml_args {
+        remote_nonnull_string      xml_desc;
+        u_int                      flags;
+};
+struct remote_node_device_define_xml_ret {
+        remote_nonnull_node_device dev;
+};
 struct remote_connect_domain_event_register_ret {
         int                        cb_registered;
 };
@@ -3605,4 +3612,5 @@ enum remote_procedure {
         REMOTE_PROC_DOMAIN_AUTHORIZED_SSH_KEYS_SET = 425,
         REMOTE_PROC_DOMAIN_GET_MESSAGES = 426,
         REMOTE_PROC_DOMAIN_START_DIRTY_RATE_CALC = 427,
+        REMOTE_PROC_NODE_DEVICE_DEFINE_XML = 428,
 };
diff --git a/src/rpc/gendispatch.pl b/src/rpc/gendispatch.pl
index 9dcd8c3e89..9f5bf0e316 100755
--- a/src/rpc/gendispatch.pl
+++ b/src/rpc/gendispatch.pl
@@ -567,6 +567,7 @@ elsif ($mode eq "server") {
             if ($argtype =~ m/^remote_node_device_/ and
                 !($argtype =~ m/^remote_node_device_lookup_by_name_/) and
                 !($argtype =~ m/^remote_node_device_create_xml_/) and
+                !($argtype =~ m/^remote_node_device_define_xml_/) and
                 !($argtype =~ m/^remote_node_device_lookup_scsi_host_by_wwn_/)) {
                 $has_node_device = 1;
                 push(@vars_list, "virNodeDevicePtr dev = NULL");