diff --git a/mercurial/templatekw.py b/mercurial/templatekw.py
--- a/mercurial/templatekw.py
+++ b/mercurial/templatekw.py
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@
 
 @templatekeyword("predecessors", requires={'repo', 'ctx'})
 def showpredecessors(context, mapping):
-    """Returns the list of the closest visible successors. (EXPERIMENTAL)"""
+    """Returns the list of the closest visible predecessors. (EXPERIMENTAL)"""
     repo = context.resource(mapping, 'repo')
     ctx = context.resource(mapping, 'ctx')
     predecessors = sorted(obsutil.closestpredecessors(repo, ctx.node()))