diff --git a/process.c b/process.c
index f45ff2f5c5..0bfaa705c8 100644
--- a/process.c
+++ b/process.c
@@ -1634,7 +1634,35 @@ check_exec_redirect(VALUE key, VALUE val, struct rb_execarg *eargp)
 }
 
 #if defined(HAVE_SETRLIMIT) && defined(NUM2RLIM)
-static int rlimit_type_by_lname(const char *name);
+static int rlimit_type_by_sym(VALUE key);
+
+static void
+rb_execarg_addopt_rlimit(struct rb_execarg *eargp, int rtype, VALUE val)
+{
+    VALUE ary = eargp->rlimit_limits;
+    VALUE tmp, softlim, hardlim;
+    if (eargp->rlimit_limits == Qfalse)
+	ary = eargp->rlimit_limits = hide_obj(rb_ary_new());
+    else
+	ary = eargp->rlimit_limits;
+    tmp = rb_check_array_type(val);
+    if (!NIL_P(tmp)) {
+	if (RARRAY_LEN(tmp) == 1)
+	    softlim = hardlim = rb_to_int(rb_ary_entry(tmp, 0));
+	else if (RARRAY_LEN(tmp) == 2) {
+	    softlim = rb_to_int(rb_ary_entry(tmp, 0));
+	    hardlim = rb_to_int(rb_ary_entry(tmp, 1));
+	}
+	else {
+	    rb_raise(rb_eArgError, "wrong exec rlimit option");
+	}
+    }
+    else {
+	softlim = hardlim = rb_to_int(val);
+    }
+    tmp = hide_obj(rb_ary_new3(3, INT2NUM(rtype), softlim, hardlim));
+    rb_ary_push(ary, tmp);
+}
 #endif
 
 int
@@ -1643,12 +1671,19 @@ rb_execarg_addopt(VALUE execarg_obj, VALUE key, VALUE val)
     struct rb_execarg *eargp = rb_execarg_get(execarg_obj);
 
     ID id;
-#if defined(HAVE_SETRLIMIT) && defined(NUM2RLIM)
-    int rtype;
-#endif
 
     switch (TYPE(key)) {
       case T_SYMBOL:
+#if defined(HAVE_SETRLIMIT) && defined(NUM2RLIM)
+        {
+            int rtype = rlimit_type_by_sym(key);
+            if (rtype != -1) {
+                rb_execarg_addopt_rlimit(eargp, rtype, val);
+                RB_GC_GUARD(execarg_obj);
+                return ST_CONTINUE;
+            }
+        }
+#endif
         if (!(id = rb_check_id(&key))) return ST_STOP;
 #ifdef HAVE_SETPGID
         if (id == id_pgroup) {
@@ -1680,35 +1715,6 @@ rb_execarg_addopt(VALUE execarg_obj, VALUE key, VALUE val)
             eargp->new_pgroup_flag = RTEST(val) ? 1 : 0;
         }
         else
-#endif
-#if defined(HAVE_SETRLIMIT) && defined(NUM2RLIM)
-        if (strncmp("rlimit_", rb_id2name(id), 7) == 0 &&
-            (rtype = rlimit_type_by_lname(rb_id2name(id)+7)) != -1) {
-            VALUE ary = eargp->rlimit_limits;
-            VALUE tmp, softlim, hardlim;
-            if (eargp->rlimit_limits == Qfalse)
-                ary = eargp->rlimit_limits = hide_obj(rb_ary_new());
-            else
-                ary = eargp->rlimit_limits;
-            tmp = rb_check_array_type(val);
-            if (!NIL_P(tmp)) {
-                if (RARRAY_LEN(tmp) == 1)
-                    softlim = hardlim = rb_to_int(rb_ary_entry(tmp, 0));
-                else if (RARRAY_LEN(tmp) == 2) {
-                    softlim = rb_to_int(rb_ary_entry(tmp, 0));
-                    hardlim = rb_to_int(rb_ary_entry(tmp, 1));
-                }
-                else {
-                    rb_raise(rb_eArgError, "wrong exec rlimit option");
-                }
-            }
-            else {
-                softlim = hardlim = rb_to_int(val);
-            }
-            tmp = hide_obj(rb_ary_new3(3, INT2NUM(rtype), softlim, hardlim));
-            rb_ary_push(ary, tmp);
-        }
-        else
 #endif
         if (id == id_unsetenv_others) {
             if (eargp->unsetenv_others_given) {
@@ -4792,6 +4798,20 @@ rlimit_type_by_lname(const char *name)
     return rlimit_resource_name2int(name, 1);
 }
 
+static int
+rlimit_type_by_sym(VALUE key)
+{
+    const char *rname = RSTRING_PTR(rb_sym2str(key));
+    int rtype = -1;
+
+    if (strncmp("rlimit_", rname, 7) == 0) {
+	rtype = rlimit_type_by_lname(rname + 7);
+    }
+
+    RB_GC_GUARD(key);
+    return rtype;
+}
+
 static int
 rlimit_resource_type(VALUE rtype)
 {
diff --git a/test/ruby/test_process.rb b/test/ruby/test_process.rb
index 95d32dbced..41b8b68d9d 100644
--- a/test/ruby/test_process.rb
+++ b/test/ruby/test_process.rb
@@ -242,6 +242,18 @@ class TestProcess < Test::Unit::TestCase
       :rlimit_core=>n, :rlimit_cpu=>3600]) {|io|
       assert_equal("[#{n}, #{n}]\n[3600, 3600]", io.read.chomp)
     }
+
+    assert_raise(ArgumentError) do
+      system(RUBY, '-e', 'exit',  'rlimit_bogus'.to_sym => 123)
+    end
+    assert_separately([],<<-"end;") # [ruby-core:82033] [Bug #13744]
+      assert(system("#{RUBY}", "-e",
+                 "exit([3600,3600] == Process.getrlimit(:CPU))",
+             'rlimit_cpu'.to_sym => 3600))
+      assert_raise(ArgumentError) do
+        system("#{RUBY}", '-e', 'exit',  :rlimit_bogus => 123)
+      end
+    end;
   end
 
   MANDATORY_ENVS = %w[RUBYLIB]