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autonomy

Etymology and origin of the English word autonomy

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1623
Borrowed from
Ancient Greek αὐτονομία
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (αὐτός,νόμος)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɔːˈtɒn.ə.mi/ (UK); /ɔˈtɑ.nə.mi/, /ɑˈtɑ.nə.mi/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτονομία (autonomía, “independence”), perhaps influenced by Middle French autonomie (1596),[2][3][4] from αὐτόνομος (autónomos, “living by one's own laws”), from αὐτός (autós, “self”) and νόμος (nómos, “custom, law”),[2][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to assign, allot”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The right of self-government, of a state or institution: 1623 in Barnhart, the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1620s in Etymonline.[2][6][7][3]

Semantic evolution

Of persons, personal freedom or the liberty to follow one's will, it is from 1803.[3][6] In Kant's philosophy, the doctrine of the will giving itself its own law is from 1817.[6][3] A self-governing community is from 1840,[6] and organic independence in biology from 1871.[6] Autonomous is from 1800, and autonomic from 1832, especially in autonomic nervous system (1896).[2]

Timeline

  • 1623 – self-government.[2][6]
  • 1800 – autonomous.[2]
  • 1803 – personal freedom.[3][6]
  • 1817 – Kantian autonomy.[6]
  • 1840 – a self-governing community.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The right or condition of self-government, especially in local or internal affairs.
  2. Freedom to decide one's own actions; independence.
  3. A self-governing state or community.
  4. (philosophy) The doctrine that the will is or should be governed by its own principles.

Word family

  • autonomist
  • autonomic
  • autonomism
  • semiautonomy

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Autonomy.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/autonomy. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·