'non-bootlike' originates from English, combining the Latin word 'non' meaning 'not' (as the prefix 'non-') with 'bootlike' (from 'boot' + the Old English-derived suffix '-like', where Old English 'līc' meant 'having the form, similar').

'non' entered Middle English from Latin 'non'; 'boot' came into Middle English as 'bote' via Old French 'bote/botte' of Germanic origin; the suffix '-like' descends from Old English '-līc'. These elements combined productively in Modern English to form the compound 'non-bootlike'.

Initially, it meant simply 'not like a boot,' and this compositional meaning remains unchanged in modern usage.