'non-gravitational' originates from English, combining the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') and 'gravitational', which derives from 'gravity' from Latin 'gravitas', where 'gravis' meant 'heavy'.

'gravity' entered English via Old French 'gravité' from Latin 'gravitas'; the adjective 'gravitational' was formed in modern English by adding the suffix '-al' to 'gravity', and the negative prefix 'non-' was attached to create 'non-gravitational'.

Initially, 'gravity' primarily meant 'weight' or 'seriousness'; over time it became specialized in physics to mean the force attracting masses, and 'non-gravitational' came to mean 'not caused by or relating to that force'.