'automobilist' originates from French, specifically the word 'automobiliste', formed from 'automobile' + the agent suffix '-ist'. 'Automobile' itself comes from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' and Latin 'mobilis' meaning 'movable'.

'automobilist' entered English in the late 19th to early 20th century from French 'automobiliste'; the French term was coined from 'automobile' plus '-iste' and was adopted into English with the English agentive suffix '-ist'.

Initially it meant 'a person associated with or using an automobile' (often early car owners/users), and it has remained largely consistent, now generally meaning 'a driver or user of a car'.