'non-verbal' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'verbum,' where 'non-' meant 'not' and 'verbum' meant 'word.'

'verbum' transformed into the English word 'verbal,' and eventually became the modern English word 'non-verbal' with the addition of the prefix 'non-'.

Initially, it meant 'not involving words,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.