'non-neutrality' originates from Modern English, specifically formed by attaching the negative prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') to 'neutrality', which itself comes via French 'neutralité' from Late Latin 'neutralis'.

'neutrality' developed from Middle French 'neutralité', from Late Latin 'neutralis' (built from Latin 'neuter' meaning 'neither of two'); the English negative prefix 'non-' was later combined with 'neutrality' to form the compound 'non-neutrality'.

Initially, 'neutrality' meant 'neither of two' or 'not taking sides' (impartiality); over time the compound 'non-neutrality' came to mean 'the state of not being neutral'—i.e., bias or absence of impartiality—and in technical contexts it denotes lack of electrical neutrality.