'autopathic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'autopathēs', where 'auto-' meant 'self' and 'pathos' meant 'suffering' or 'disease'.

'autopathic' changed from New Latin/Modern Latin 'autopathicus' used in medical and scientific Latin and eventually became the modern English word 'autopathic' through 19th–20th century medical literature.

Initially, it meant 'pertaining to disease originating from within the body', and this core idea has largely remained, though usage has broadened to refer more generally to self-originating or self-affecting processes.