'automobilist' originates from French and English, specifically from 'automobile' + the agent suffix '-ist', where 'automobile' comes from Greek 'auto-' meaning 'self' and Latin 'mobilis' meaning 'movable'.

'automobilist' changed from the French word 'automobiliste' (late 19th century) and was adopted into English as 'automobilist'.

Initially, it meant 'a person who owns or drives an automobile', and over time it has retained that core meaning as 'a motorist'.