'noninfluence' is formed from the prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') and the noun 'influence'. 'non-' originates from Latin 'non' meaning 'not', and 'influence' originates from Latin 'influxus'/'influere' where 'in-' meant 'into' and 'fluere' meant 'to flow'.

'influence' came into English via Old French 'influence' (from Latin 'influxus'/'influere') and Middle English usage, and the productivity of the prefix 'non-' in Modern English produced the compound 'noninfluence'.

Originally 'influence' referred to a 'flowing in' (literal and later astrological notions of influence); over time it evolved to mean the power to affect people or events. 'noninfluence' therefore denotes the absence of that power.