'autocue' originates from English; it was coined as a trademark name (Autocue) for prompting equipment and combines the prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self') with 'cue' (theatrical 'cue', a signal).

'autocue' began as a mid-20th-century trademark for a specific teleprompting device produced by the Autocue company. In British English the brand name gradually became a generic term for any teleprompter.

Initially it referred specifically to the trademarked device; over time it evolved into the general meaning 'teleprompter' and (informally) the verb meaning 'to prompt using such a device'.