'non-explosive' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and the word 'explosive' which comes from Latin 'explosivus', meaning 'to drive out'.

'explosivus' transformed into the English word 'explosive', and with the addition of the prefix 'non-', it became 'non-explosive'.

Initially, 'explosive' meant 'to drive out', but over time it evolved to mean 'capable of causing an explosion'. 'Non-explosive' retains the negation of this meaning.