'self-replicate' originates from the combination of 'self' and 'replicate', where 'self' refers to the individual entity and 'replicate' means 'to make a copy'.

'replicate' comes from the Latin word 'replicare', meaning 'to fold back'.

Initially, 'replicate' meant 'to fold back', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'to make a copy'.