'autodialer' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound 'auto-' + 'dialer', where 'auto-' comes from Greek 'autós' meaning 'self' and 'dialer' is formed from 'dial' + agent suffix '-er' (one who dials).

'auto-' arrived in English via Greek 'autós' (self) through Latin/modern borrowings; 'dial' originally referred to the face of an instrument or a rotating disk and later to the telephone rotary mechanism; the compound 'autodialer' was coined in the 20th century with the development of automatic telephone-dialing equipment and later extended to electronic/software systems.

Initially it referred to mechanical devices that rotated a dial automatically; over time the meaning broadened to include electronic and software-based systems that place calls automatically (including robocalling services).