'non-instructional' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'non-' (originally from Latin 'non') where 'non' meant 'not', combined with 'instructional' from Latin 'instructio' (from 'instruere') meaning 'instruction' or 'arrangement'.

'instructional' developed from Middle English 'instruction' (borrowed from Latin 'instructio'), and the modern compound 'non-instructional' was created in modern English by prefixing 'non-' to 'instructional' to indicate the negation.

Initially, the elements meant 'not' + 'related to instruction'; over time the compound has consistently been used to denote things that are explicitly not intended for formal teaching, retaining that basic sense.