'autosepticemia' originates from Greek elements: the prefix 'auto-' from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self', combined with 'septicemia' (from Greek 'septikos' meaning 'putrefactive' and 'haima' meaning 'blood').

'septicemia' entered English via Late Latin and French from Greek roots, and in medical English the Greek-derived prefix 'auto-' was attached (in the 19th century medical literature) to form 'autosepticemia'.

Initially the components literally meant 'self' + 'putrefactive blood'; over time the compound came to be used in medicine to denote a bloodstream infection caused by organisms originating within the patient's own body.