'auturgy' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'αὐτουργία' (autourgia), where 'autos' meant 'self' and 'ergon' meant 'work'.

'auturgy' passed into Late and Medieval Latin as 'auturgia' and was adopted into English usage as a learned borrowing, appearing in philosophical and theological writings from the modern period onward.

Initially, it literally meant 'self-work' in Greek, but over time it evolved into the abstract sense of 'self-sufficiency' or 'independent operation' used in modern English.