'noncommittal' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and the word 'committal' which is derived from 'commit', meaning 'to pledge or bind to a certain course or policy'.

'committal' changed from the Latin word 'committere', meaning 'to join, entrust', and eventually became the modern English word 'commit'.

Initially, it meant 'not binding oneself to a particular course', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.