'autotrophic' originates from New Latin/Modern Latin, ultimately from the Greek elements 'auto-' and 'trophē', where 'auto-' meant 'self' and 'trophē' meant 'nourishment'.

'autotrophic' developed from the Neo-Latin/New Latin term 'autotrophus' (coined in the late 19th century) based on Greek 'autotrophos' (autos + trophē), then entered English as 'autotroph' and later formed the adjective 'autotrophic' with the suffix '-ic'.

Initially it literally meant 'self-nourishing' and over time has retained that core sense, coming to be used specifically for organisms that synthesize their own organic matter (by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis).