Etymology

autism

aut·ism
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Today it means: Autism spectrum disorder, a condition characterized by impairment in social communication and interaction, as well as a need or strong preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing differences, focused interests, or repetitive behaviours. This includes classic autism as well as other, previously distinct disorders such as Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Full definition →

First used 2013 with the release of the DSM-5German Autismus ← Ancient Greek αὐτός
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromαὐτός“self”
  2. German · borrowed fromAutismus
  3. English todayautism

Borrowed from German Autismus, coined by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, first usage dated to 1907 attributed by Carl Jung as an alternative of his for "auto-erotism", although Bleuler himself differentiates the terms in his book Dementia Praecox, first published 1911. From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”) + -ισμός (-ismós, “-ism”).

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekαὐτός all →

automobileautemesiaautologicalautomelonautoptic

First known use, by meaning

  • from 2013 with the release of the DSM-5 Autism spectrum disorder, a condition characterized by impairment in social communication and interaction, as well as a need or strong preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing differences, focused interests, or repetitive behaviours. This includes classic autism as well as other, previously distinct disorders such as Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.
  • from 2024 Deliberate misspelling of autumn.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.