'autosomally' derives from the adjective 'autosomal', which in turn comes from the noun 'autosome' + the adjectival suffix '-al' and adverbial suffix '-ly'. 'Autosome' was formed from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' and 'soma' meaning 'body'.

'autosome' was coined in early 20th-century genetics from Greek roots 'autos' and 'soma'; this produced the adjective 'autosomal' by adding '-al', and the adverb 'autosomally' by adding '-ly' to the adjective, giving the modern English form 'autosomally'.

Originally based on roots meaning 'self' and 'body', the compound 'autosome' came to mean 'a chromosome that is not a sex chromosome'; this technical genetic sense led to 'autosomal' and the adverbial 'autosomally' meaning 'in relation to autosomes'.