'autotoxicosis' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'autos', 'toxikon', and the suffix '-osis', where 'autos' meant 'self', 'toxikon' meant 'poison', and '-osis' meant 'condition or disease'.

'autotoxicosis' formed in Neo‑Latin from the Greek components and was adopted into English medical usage (often in the 19th century) as the term for disease caused by internal poisons; it derives from Greek components without a long intermediary Old English form.

Initially it meant 'a condition caused by one's own poison(s)', and over time the basic sense has remained, though modern medical usage more commonly prefers related terms like 'autointoxication' or more specific diagnoses.