'non-fossil-bearing' is formed in English by prefixing 'non-' to the compound 'fossil-bearing'. 'non-' comes from Latin 'non' meaning 'not'; 'fossil' originates from Latin 'fossilis' meaning 'dug up'; 'bearing' comes from Old English 'beran' meaning 'to carry'.

'fossil' originates from Latin 'fossilis' and passed into Late Latin/Middle French before entering Middle English as 'fossil'; 'bearing' derives from Old English 'beran' → Middle English 'beren' with the participial suffix '-ing' producing 'bearing'. The compound 'fossil-bearing' arose in scientific geology to describe strata that 'carry' fossils, and the productive negative prefix 'non-' was later attached to form 'non-fossil-bearing'.

Originally 'fossil' in Latin implied something 'dug up' (from the ground); over time it came to mean preserved remains or traces of ancient life. 'Bearing' retained the sense 'carrying/containing'. Together, 'non-fossil-bearing' evolved to mean 'not containing fossils'.