'autogenesis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'αὐτογένεσις' (autogénesis), where the prefix 'auto-' meant 'self' and 'genesis' meant 'origin' or 'birth'.

'autogenesis' passed into Late Latin/Medieval Latin as 'autogenesis' or similar forms and was adopted into English with the same morphological elements, eventually forming plural usages like 'autogeneses' in scholarly contexts.

Initially, it meant 'self-origin' or 'self-birth' in a literal biological or philosophical sense; over time the term has retained that core meaning but broadened to include self-organization and self-creation in non-biological systems.