'non-fibrous' originates from English, specifically the negative prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') combined with 'fibrous', where Latin 'fibra' meant 'fiber'.

'fibrous' developed from Latin 'fibra' → Old French 'fibre' → Middle English 'fiber', with the adjectival suffix '-ous' forming 'fibrous'; the prefix 'non-' (from Latin via Old French/Modern English usage) was later attached in modern English to create 'non-fibrous'.

Initially 'fibra' meant 'fiber' and 'fibrous' meant 'having fibers'; over time the compound 'non-fibrous' came to mean 'not having fibers' or 'lacking a fibrous structure'.