'autohemolysin' originates from Greek elements: specifically 'autos' meaning 'self', 'haima' (or 'haemo-/hemo-') meaning 'blood', and 'lysis' (from 'lyein') meaning 'loosening' or 'dissolution'.

'autohemolysin' is a modern medical/scientific compound formed by combining classical Greek roots ('auto-' + 'hemo-' + '-lysin') rather than descending from a single older English word; it was coined within biomedical nomenclature to describe a self-associated blood-lysing factor.

Initially the components meant 'self', 'blood', and 'dissolution'; together in modern usage they denote a substance that causes the dissolution (lysis) of blood cells — the combined technical meaning has been stable since its coinage.