'non-organic' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and 'organic' from the Greek 'organikos', meaning 'instrumental'.

'Non-organic' evolved from the combination of 'non-' and 'organic', which was used in scientific contexts to describe substances not derived from living organisms.

Initially, it meant 'not related to living organisms', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.