'atechnical' originates from the English negative prefix 'a-' (from Greek/Old English privative 'a-'), specifically the prefix 'a-' where 'a-' meant 'not' or 'without', combined with 'technical' which comes from Greek 'technikos' via Late Latin/French.

'technical' changed from Greek 'technikos' (from 'techne' meaning 'art, craft') into Late Latin and Old French forms and eventually became the modern English word 'technical'; the modern formation 'atechnical' was created by adding the privative 'a-' to 'technical' in modern English to convey negation.

Initially, the prefix-plus-root formation meant 'not technical' (i.e., lacking technical character), and over time it has retained that basic meaning of 'not technical' or 'non-technical'.