'autovaccine' originates from Greek-derived prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos') meaning 'self' and from 'vaccine', which ultimately traces to Latin 'vaccinus' (from 'vacca') meaning 'cow'.

'vaccine' came into English via Latin 'vaccinus' and the term was popularized by Edward Jenner in the late 18th century to refer to material related to cowpox ('vaccinia'); 'autovaccine' is a later modern medical formation combining 'auto-' + 'vaccine' to denote a self-derived vaccine.

Initially, 'vaccine' was associated specifically with material from cows used against smallpox; over time it broadened to mean any preparation used to confer immunity, and 'autovaccine' specifically came to mean a preparation made from a patient's own pathogens to induce immunity.