'autospore' originates from New Latin/Modern scientific formation, built from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self' and Greek 'spora' meaning 'seed' or 'sowing' (hence 'self-spore').

'autospore' was formed in scientific Latin/Greek compound usage (as 'autospora' or similar) in biological literature and entered English as the technical term 'autospore' in the late 19th to early 20th century.

Initially the components conveyed the idea of a 'self-produced seed/seed-like body'; over time this became the specific biological sense of a 'spore produced within the parent cell' used in modern biology.