Past tense of 'auto,' meaning to travel by automobile or to operate with automatic controls.
From 'automobile,' which combines Greek 'autos' (self) and Latin 'mobilis' (movable). 'Autoed' as a verb emerged in the early 1900s when automobiles became common enough to use as verbs in everyday speech.
When cars were invented, people loved them so much they turned 'automobile' into a verb—'to auto' meant simply to drive around for fun. It's one of the few verbs made from a whole multi-word term!
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