'non-flower-eating' is formed from the negative prefix 'non' (originating from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') combined with the compound 'flower-eating' (from 'flower' + 'eat'). 'Flower' ultimately comes from Latin 'flōs, flōris' via Old French 'flour/fleur', and 'eat' comes from Old English 'etan'.

'non-' (Latin 'non') was used as a negative prefix in English; 'flower' entered English via Old French 'flour/fleur' from Latin 'flōs, flōris'; 'eat' comes from Old English 'etan'. These elements combined in modern English to form the descriptive compound 'flower-eating', to which the prefix 'non-' was attached to create 'non-flower-eating'.

The components originally meant 'not' + 'to eat flowers' in a literal sense; combined in modern usage the compound means 'not feeding on flowers' as an attributive description.