'non-orogenic' originates from the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') combined with 'orogenic', which comes from Greek roots 'oros' (『山』) meaning 'mountain' and 'genesis' (『生成』) meaning 'birth' or 'origin'.

'orogenic' entered English via scientific Latin/Greek usage describing 'mountain‑forming' processes; the negative prefix 'non-' was later attached in modern English to create 'non-orogenic' to denote the absence of such processes.

Initially, the components denoted 'not' + 'mountain‑forming'; the combined modern term has retained that technical meaning, used to describe geological features or processes not caused by or associated with orogeny.