Etymograph

English

auto-

Auto- comes from Ancient Greek αὐτός ‘self’, from αὖ ‘Again, anew, afresh, in turn’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew1‘again’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὖ1aû‘Again, anew, afresh, in turn’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτόν1tón
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὐτός1autós‘self’
  5. Englishtodayauto-1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English auto-

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewWiktionary, English auto-‘again’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὖWiktionary, English auto-aû‘Again, anew, afresh, in turn’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτόνWiktionary, English auto-tón
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὐτόςWiktionary, English auto-autós‘self’
  5. Englishtodayauto-Wiktionary, English auto-

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew ‘again’

nickname, eke, 7 more

through Ancient Greek αὐτός ‘self’

autism, 4 more

Another origin of auto-

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think, mind’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mn̥tósreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*mətósreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὐτόμᾰτοςautómătos‘self-willed, unbidden’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαὐτόμᾰτονautómăton
  6. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEautomatum
  7. New Latinmodernautomaticus
  8. English1500–presentautomatic
  9. Englishtodayauto-

Another origin of auto-

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)ewh₁-‘to move’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*m(y)owh₁éyetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moweō‘to move’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmoveō‘to move, stir, set in motion’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmōbili
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentmobile
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentautomobile‘automotive’
  8. English1500–presentautomobile‘self-propelled’
  9. Englishtodayauto-

In later formations influenced by auto (‘automobile’).

Today it means

prefix Reflexive, regarding or to oneself.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “auto-”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew / auto-

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