'nonapoplectic' originates from a combination of the English prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') and the adjective 'apoplectic' (ultimately from Greek 'apoplexia'), where 'apo-' meant 'away' and 'plēxis' meant 'a stroke' or 'a striking'.

'apoplectic' entered English via Latin from Greek 'apoplexia' and took the adjectival suffix '-ic'; the modern formation 'nonapoplectic' is a more recent English coinage formed by prefixing 'non-' to 'apoplectic' to indicate the negative.

Initially 'apoplectic' referred to being affected by apoplexy (a medical seizure); later it developed a strong figurative sense of being 'extremely angry' or 'furious'. 'Nonapoplectic' therefore denotes 'not affected by apoplexy' or, figuratively, 'not extremely angry'.