'autolesion' originates from Greek and Latin, specifically the prefix 'auto-' from Greek 'autos', where 'auto-' meant 'self', and 'lesion' from Latin 'laesio' (from 'laedere'), where 'laesio' meant 'injury'.

'autolesion' changed from French word 'autolésion' (and related medical-Latin forms such as 'autolesio') and eventually became the modern English word 'autolesion' through adoption in medical and psychiatric literature.

Initially, it meant 'self-inflicted injury', and over time it has retained that core meaning while becoming a more technical/clinical term used to describe various forms of self-harm (often non-suicidal).