'autoportraiture' originates from French, specifically the word 'autoportrait', where the prefix 'auto-' comes from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' and 'portrait' comes from French 'portrait' meaning 'portrayal (of a person)'.

'autoportraiture' developed from French 'autoportrait' + the noun-forming suffix '-ure' (from French) to denote the practice or result; 'auto-' traces back to Greek 'autos' and 'portrait' traces through Old French 'portraire'/'portrait' (from verbs meaning 'to portray') into modern English usage.

Initially it referred simply to a self-portrait (the object); over time it has also come to denote the practice or genre—the act and body of work of making self-portraits.