'nonstatic' originates from Modern English, formed by the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') attached to 'static', which ultimately derives from Greek 'statikos' (meaning 'causing to stand').

'static' came into English via Late Latin 'staticus' and Greek 'statikos'; the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', and related to Old English 'nān' in sense of negation) was affixed to create the compound 'nonstatic' in English by prefixation.

Initially, 'static' meant 'causing to stand' or 'stationary', so 'nonstatic' originally meant 'not stationary' or 'not standing still'; over time the term has been used more generally to mean 'not fixed' or 'dynamic', including technical senses in computing.