'non-silicate' is formed in English by the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') combined with 'silicate'. 'Silicate' comes from modern Latin/New Latin 'silicatus' or directly from 'silica', ultimately from Latin 'silex'/'silicis' meaning 'flint' or 'hard stone'.

The term 'silicate' arose in chemical nomenclature in the 19th century to denote salts or esters of silicic acid (from 'silica' + suffix '-ate'). The prefix 'non-' has long been used in English to form negatives; attaching it produced 'non-silicate' to classify substances not belonging to the silicate group.

Originally, 'silicate' referred specifically to compounds related to silicic acid; 'non-silicate' developed as a practical classificatory term in geology and mineralogy for materials outside that group and has retained that technical meaning.