'autotelism' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'autotelēs', where 'auto-' meant 'self' and 'telos' meant 'end, goal'.

'autotelēs' was used in Greek; it entered scholarly and Neo-Latin usage as forms like 'autotelicus' and later gave rise to the English adjective 'autotelic' and the noun 'autotelism'.

Initially it meant 'having a purpose in or for itself'; over time the meaning has remained largely consistent and is used to describe actions, works, or people oriented toward intrinsic ends.