'autocystoplasty' originates from modern medical formation combining Greek roots: 'auto-' from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self', 'cysto-' from Greek 'kystis' meaning 'bladder', and 'plasty' from Greek 'plastos' meaning 'moulded' or 'formed'.

'autocystoplasty' was formed by combining the prefix 'auto-' with 'cystoplasty' (itself from 'cyst-' + 'plasty'); the compound arose in 20th-century medical English as surgical techniques for bladder reconstruction developed.

Initially a descriptive formation meaning 'surgical shaping/formation of the bladder'; over time it has come to denote specific reconstructive procedures using the patient's own tissue.