'non-liberating' originates from English, specifically formed from the negative prefix 'non-' (ultimately from Latin 'non', where 'non' meant 'not') combined with the present participle 'liberating' of the verb 'liberate' (from Latin 'liberare', where 'liber' meant 'free').

'liberate' entered English via Middle French 'liberer' from Latin 'liberare'; the modern English adjective 'non-liberating' is formed by attaching the productive negative prefix 'non-' to the present participle 'liberating' in contemporary usage.

Initially, 'liberate' meant 'to set free' in a physical sense; over time 'liberating' acquired broader, often figurative senses (e.g., emotional or social freedom). 'Non-liberating' has come to denote the absence of such freeing or emancipatory effects.