Auto Means Self, and the Car Is Self-Moving
Auto is short for automobile. The Greek prefix means self, which explains a large family of English words.
Auto is short for *automobile*, and as a prefix means self. The full word is a Greek-Latin hybrid: *auto*, self, plus Latin *mobilis*, movable — a self-moving thing, as opposed to a carriage that needed a horse. Purists objected to mixing the two languages, but the word won. The prefix is everywhere: *automatic* acts by itself, *autobiography* is a life written by oneself, *autonomy* is self-rule and *autograph* is self-writing.
- A car. *An auto dealer.*
- Self (prefix). *Automatic.*
- Automobile — the full word. *An automobile.*
- Autonomy — self-rule. *Autonomy.*
- Greek — *autos*, self. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | auto | An auto. |
| Prefix | auto- | Autopilot. |
| Full form | automobile | Automobile. |
| Related | automatic | Automatic. |
| Greek | autos | Self. |
- The auto industry employs thousands.Cars.
- Automobile means self-moving.Etymology.
- Autonomy is self-rule.Prefix.
The autos family
- Automatic — acting by itself
- Autobiography — a life written by its subject
- Autonomy — self-government
- Autograph — written by oneself
- Autopsy — seeing for oneself, from *opsis*, sight
Short for *automobile*, from Greek *autos*, self, plus Latin *mobilis*, movable.
Why did purists object to automobile?
Because it mixes Greek auto with Latin mobilis, and nineteenth-century pedants disliked hybrid formations. The word survived anyway.
What does autopsy literally mean?
Seeing for oneself, from autos plus opsis, sight. The examiner establishes the facts by direct observation.