autisme (French)
Where does "autisme" come from?
The term 'autisme' originated in 1911 when Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the German word 'Autismus' to describe a specific psychological state. He constructed the term by combining the Ancient Greek word 'autós', meaning 'self', with the suffix '-ismós', signifying a condition or belief. Ultimately, the root 'autós' traces back to Proto-Indo-European origins related to the concept of being removed or away from.
Full etymology tree
- autisme (French), 'autism'
- borrowed Autismus (German), 'autism'
- compound αὐτός (autós) (Ancient Greek), 'self'
- inherited *h₂ew- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to enjoy'
- inherited *to- (Proto-Indo-European)
- influence αὖ (aû) (Ancient Greek), 'Again, anew, afresh, in turn; often after ordinal numerals; in a question, expressing impatience'
- inherited *h₂ew- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to enjoy'
- influence τόν (tón) (Ancient Greek), 'masculine accusative singular of ὁ (ho, “the”) and ὀ (o, Cretan and Lesbian form of ὁ (ho, “the”))'
- compound -ισμός (-ismós) (Ancient Greek), 'Forms abstract nouns describing a condition or doctrine.'
- compound αὐτός (autós) (Ancient Greek), 'self'
- borrowed Autismus (German), 'autism'
Ancestors
- Autismus (German)
Descendants and derived words
- اوتیسم (Persian)
- autism (Romanian)
- otizm (Turkish)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris