'non-mechanistically' originates from English, specifically formed by the prefix 'non-' + 'mechanistically', where 'non-' meant 'not' and the suffix '-ally' (on 'mechanistic') turns an adjective into an adverb.

'mechanistically' derives from the adjective 'mechanistic', which was formed from 'mechanism' + the adjectival suffix '-istic'. 'Mechanism' comes into English via Latin and French from Greek 'mēkhanē' (μηχανή) meaning 'device' or 'machine'.

Initially, roots like 'mechanism' and 'mechanistic' were tied to 'machines' or 'devices'; over time the sense broadened to describe processes seen as automatic, reductionist, or rule-governed. 'Non-mechanistically' therefore now means 'in a manner that explicitly rejects or avoids such mechanistic interpretation'.