'non-cave-adapted' is an English compound formed from the prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') and 'cave-adapted' (adapted to caves).

'non-' is a productive negative prefix in modern English ultimately from Latin 'non' meaning 'not'; 'cave' comes from Latin 'cavea' (a hollow) and 'adapted' comes via Latin 'adaptare' (to fit, make suitable) -> Old/Middle English borrowings; the compound assembled in contemporary English usage to indicate absence of cave adaptations.

The construction has a transparent, literal meaning ('not adapted to caves') and has not undergone significant semantic change beyond being a descriptive compound in ecology and comparative biology.