'non-proteolytic' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and 'proteolytic' which comes from 'proteo-' referring to 'protein' and '-lytic' meaning 'to break down'.

'Proteolytic' changed from the Greek word 'proteos' meaning 'primary' and 'lytikos' meaning 'able to loosen', and eventually became the modern English word 'proteolytic'.

Initially, it meant 'not breaking down proteins', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.