1912 (Bleuler), fromautism (q.v.). The noun meaning "person with autism" is recorded from 1968 (earlier in this sense wasautist). Related:Autistically.

word-forming element of Greek origin meaning "self, one's own, by oneself, of oneself" (and especially, from 1895, "automobile"), from Greekautos, reflexive pronoun, "self, same," which is of unknown origin. It also was a common word-forming element in ancient Greek, as in modern English, but very few of the old words have survived the interval.

In Greek, as a word-forming element,auto- had the sense of "self, one's own, of oneself ('independently'); of itself ('natural, native, not made'); just exactly; together with." Before a vowel, it becameaut-; before an aspirate,auth-. In Greek it also was used as a prefix to proper names, as inautomelinna "Melinna herself." The opposite prefix would beallo-.

word-forming element making nouns implying a practice, system, doctrine, etc., from French-isme or directly from Latin-isma,-ismus (source also of Italian, Spanish-ismo, Dutch, German-ismus), from Greek-ismos, noun ending signifying the practice or teaching of a thing, from the stem of verbs in-izein, a verb-forming element denoting the doing of the noun or adjective to which it is attached. For distinction of use, see-ity. The related Greek suffix-isma(t)- affects some forms.