'autocatheterism' originates from Greek/Neo-Latin elements: the prefix 'auto-' from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self', the root 'catheter' from Greek 'kathētēr' (καθέτηρ) meaning 'a thing put down' or 'to let down' (used for an instrument for draining), and the suffix '-ism' from Greek/Latin meaning 'practice' or 'process'.

'catheter' entered English via Late Latin and French from Greek 'kathētēr'; later, the prefix 'auto-' was attached to form 'autocatheter-' to denote self-use, and the suffix '-ism' produced the noun 'autocatheterism' to describe the practice of self-catheterization, yielding the modern English 'autocatheterism'.

Initially related to the instrument or act of catheterization, the compounded form 'autocatheterism' came to specify specifically the practice of inserting a catheter by oneself (self-catheterization), a specialized medical meaning that has remained stable.