'non-military' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and the word 'military' from Latin 'militaris', meaning 'of soldiers or war'.

'militaris' transformed into the Old French word 'militaire', and eventually became the modern English word 'military'. The prefix 'non-' was added to denote the absence of military characteristics.

Initially, 'military' meant 'of soldiers or war', and 'non-military' has consistently meant 'not related to the military'.