'non-measurement-based' is a compound formed from the prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not'), the noun 'measurement', and the adjective-forming element 'based' (from 'base'). 'Non-' ultimately comes from Latin 'non' meaning 'not'; 'measurement' derives from 'measure' + '-ment'; and 'base' comes from Latin/Greek roots via French.

'measurement' comes from Old French 'mesure' (later 'measure') and Latin 'mensura' meaning 'a measuring', while 'base' comes via Middle French 'base' from Latin/Greek 'basis'. The prefix 'non-' was borrowed into English as a productivity marker meaning 'not' and has been used to create compounds such as 'non-measurement-based'.

The components originally meant 'not' (non-), 'the act or result of measuring' (measurement), and 'foundation' (base). Combined in modern usage they mean 'not founded on measurement' — the meaning is a straightforward compositional development rather than a semantic shift.