diff --git a/bundles/org.openhab.core.model.item/src/org/openhab/core/model/Items.xtext b/bundles/org.openhab.core.model.item/src/org/openhab/core/model/Items.xtext
index 02ca3871528..13cfaf86af3 100644
--- a/bundles/org.openhab.core.model.item/src/org/openhab/core/model/Items.xtext
+++ b/bundles/org.openhab.core.model.item/src/org/openhab/core/model/Items.xtext
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ ItemModel:
 ModelItem:
 	(ModelNormalItem | ModelGroupItem) name=ID
 	(label=STRING)?
-	('<' icon=(ID|STRING) '>')?
+	('<' icon=Icon '>')?
 	('(' groups+=ID (',' groups+=ID)* ')')? 
 	('[' tags+=(ID|STRING) (',' tags+=(ID|STRING))* ']')?
 	('{' bindings+=ModelBinding (',' bindings+=ModelBinding)* '}')? 
@@ -64,6 +64,22 @@ NUMBER returns ecore::EBigDecimal:
     ('-')? ID ('.' ID )?
 ;
 
+Icon:
+	(IconSource ':' IconSet? ':' IconName) | (IconSet ':' IconName) | IconName
+;
+
+IconSource:
+	ID
+;
+
+IconSet:
+	ID
+;
+
+IconName:
+	ID
+;
+
 terminal ID: '^'?('a'..'z'|'A'..'Z'|'_'|'0'..'9') ('a'..'z'|'A'..'Z'|'_'|'-'|'0'..'9')*;
 
 terminal STRING: