"stewing apparatus the lid of which is kept closed and tight by the steam itself," 1847, from French (1821), literally "self-locking," from auto- "self" (see auto-) + clave, from Latin clavis "key" (from PIE root *klau- "hook").
autocade
autocar
autochthon
autochthonic
autochthonous
autoclave
autocracy
autocrat
autocratic
auto-da-fe
autodidact