'non-neurotoxic' is an English compound formed from the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not'), the combining form 'neuro-' (from Greek 'neuron' meaning 'nerve'), and the adjective 'toxic' (from Greek 'toxikon' 'poison' via Latin/French).

'toxic' came into English via Latin 'toxicus' and Old French 'toxique' from Greek 'toxikon'; 'neuro-' entered English as a combining form from Greek 'neuron' in modern scientific usage; the prefix 'non-' was used in Middle English from Latin 'non' to form negatives, and medical compounds combining these elements produced terms like 'neurotoxic' and its negation 'non-neurotoxic'.

Originally formed to mean 'not producing nerve poison' or 'not harmful to nerves'; this compositional meaning has remained stable, used primarily in medical and toxicological contexts to denote absence of neural toxicity.