'autobasidiomycetous' originates from combined Greek and Neo-Latin elements: specifically the Greek prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos') meaning 'self', the Neo-Latin/Greek-derived 'basidium' (from Greek 'basidion') meaning 'little base' or 'pedestal', and the combining form '-mycetous' (from Greek 'mykēs') meaning 'fungus'.

'autobasidiomycetous' was formed in modern scientific English by compounding 'auto-' + 'basidium' + '-mycetous' (via New Latin/neo-formation used in mycological descriptions) and has appeared in specialized mycological literature to describe fungi with basidia arising directly from hyphae or similar structures.

Initially the constituent elements meant 'self' (auto-), 'little base' or basidium (basid-), and 'fungus' (-mycetous); over time the compounded adjective has come to denote specifically the biological condition of producing basidia directly (the descriptive, taxonomic usage used in mycology).