'non-asexuality' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') and the noun 'asexuality' (see below).

'asexuality' comes from the prefix 'a-' (from Greek privative 'a-' meaning 'without' or 'not') + 'sexuality' (from Latin 'sexus' via Old French/Latin derivative and the Late Latin/Medieval formation '-al'/'-ity'); 'non-' as a productive English prefix was added in Modern English to negate the term, producing 'non-asexuality'.

Originally, terms like 'asexual' were used in biology to mean 'without sexual reproduction'; over time 'asexuality' gained use to describe a sexual orientation (lack of sexual attraction), and 'non-asexuality' has come to mean simply 'not asexual'—i.e., experiencing sexual attraction or belonging to orientations other than asexual.