'automobile' originates from French, specifically the word 'automobile', where the prefix 'auto-' came from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' and the root 'mobile' came from Latin 'mobilis' meaning 'movable'.

'automobile' was coined in French in the late 19th century (from Greek 'autos' + Latin 'mobilis'), then adopted into English as 'automobile'; the verb form 'to automobile' developed from the noun to mean 'to travel by automobile'.

Initially it referred to a 'self-moving (movable) vehicle', and over time its primary meaning became the modern sense 'motor vehicle (car)'; the verbal use simply means 'to travel by car'.