'audiotypist' originates from the combining forms 'audio-' and 'typist'. 'Audio-' comes from Latin 'audire' meaning 'to hear', and 'typist' derives from English 'typist' (from 'type' ultimately from Greek 'typos' meaning 'impression, mark').

'audiotypist' was formed in modern English by compounding 'audio' + 'typist' (likely in the 20th century with the rise of audio recording technology) and has been used as a job title for those who transcribe recordings.

Initially it described someone who typed using audio dictation equipment; over time the meaning has remained stable and still refers to a person who produces written transcripts from recorded or live audio.