'non-ammoniated' originates from the negative prefix 'non-' (Latin) combined with the verb 'ammoniate' (English). 'Ammoniate' itself is formed from 'ammonia' + the verb-forming suffix '-ate'.

'ammonia' entered scientific Latin from late Latin 'ammonia' and Greek 'ammōnia' (referring to 'sal ammoniac' near the temple of the Egyptian god Amun/Ammon). In modern scientific English the noun 'ammonia' gave rise to the verb 'ammoniate' (to treat or combine with ammonia), and later the adjective 'non-ammoniated' was formed by adding the prefix 'non-'.

Initially related to substances associated with 'sal ammoniac' or the compound ammonia; over time 'ammoniate' came to mean 'to treat or convert by exposure to ammonia,' and 'non-ammoniated' now means 'not treated with or not containing ammonia.'