also auto-suggestion, "hypnotic or subconscious adoption of an idea by one's own effort," 1879, a hybrid from auto- + suggestion. The idea, and probably the model for the word, are from French.
Entries linking to autosuggestion
auto-
word-forming element meaning "self, one's own, by oneself, of oneself" (and especially, from 1895, "automobile"), from Greek autos, reflexive pronoun, "self, same," which is of unknown origin. It also was a common word-forming element in ancient Greek, as in modern English, but very few of the old words have survived the interval. In Greek, as a word-forming element, auto- had the sense of "self, one's own, of oneself ('independently'); of itself ('natural, native, not made'); just exactly; together with." Before a vowel, it became aut-; before an aspirate, auth-. In Greek it also was used as a prefix to proper names, as in automelinna "Melinna herself." The opposite prefix would be allo-.
suggestion n.
mid-14c., "a prompting to evil," from Anglo-French and Old French suggestioun "hint, temptation," from Latin suggestionem (nominative suggestio) "an addition, intimation, suggestion," noun of action from suggestus, past participle of suggerere "bring up, bring under, lay beneath; furnish, afford, supply; prompt," from sub "under; up from below" (see sub-) + gerere "bring, carry" (see gest). Sense evolution in Latin is from "heap up, build" to "bring forward an idea." Meaning "proposal, statement, declaration" appeared by late 14c., but original English notion of "evil prompting" remains in suggestive. Hypnotism sense is from 1887.