'non-chlorinating' originates from the English prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') combined with the present participle 'chlorinating', which comes from the verb 'chlorinate' (derived from 'chlorine', ultimately from Greek 'khlōros' meaning 'pale green').

'chlorinate' developed in English in the 19th century from the noun 'chlorine' (coined in the early 1800s from French/Greek roots) with the verbalizing suffix '-ate'; later the prefix 'non-' was added in English to form negatives such as 'non-chlorinating'.

Initially, terms related to 'chlor-' referred to the element 'chlorine' (the pale-green gas); over time 'chlorinate' came to mean 'to treat with chlorine', and 'non-chlorinating' now means 'not treating or involving chlorine'.