'autodialing' is formed from the combining form 'auto-' from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' + 'dial' (from English 'dial', referring to a telephone dial or the action 'to dial'), creating a word meaning 'to dial by itself'.

'autodial' is a 20th-century coinage derived by joining 'auto-' and 'dial' as telephone technology automated; 'autodialing' developed as the -ing/gerund form used to describe the process or action.

Initially coined to describe machines that 'dial by themselves,' the meaning has stayed largely consistent and now covers software- as well as hardware-based automatic calling methods.