'autolithographer' originates from Greek and English elements: Greek 'αὐτός' (autos) meaning 'self', Greek 'λίθος' (lithos) meaning 'stone', and Greek 'γράφειν' (graphein) meaning 'to write/draw', combined with the English agent suffix '-er'.

'autolithographer' is formed from the noun 'autolithograph' (an autolithographic print) + the agentive suffix '-er', following formation patterns in English for naming a person who performs a specific artistic or technical process; 'autolithograph' itself was built from Greek roots 'auto-' + 'litho-' + '-graph'.

Initially the component roots conveyed the idea 'self-stone-write' (i.e., drawing on stone oneself); over time the assembled term came to mean specifically 'a person who makes lithographic prints by drawing directly on the stone or plate', a specialist role in printmaking.