'noncrystalline' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'non-' and the adjective 'crystalline,' where 'non-' meant 'not' and 'crystalline' derives from 'crystal' plus the adjectival suffix '-ine'.

'noncrystalline' developed as a negated form of 'crystalline' (earlier written or hyphenated as 'non-crystalline') in modern scientific usage; it became established in technical literature in the 19th–20th centuries as 'noncrystalline' without a hyphen.

Initially it meant simply 'not crystalline' (i.e., lacking crystal structure); this core meaning has remained, though its use expanded in materials science to describe specific amorphous structures and properties.