'nonissue' is formed from the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') combined with 'issue' (from Old French 'issue').

'issue' originates from Latin 'exitus' (from 'exire', 'to go out'), passed into Old French as 'issue' meaning 'a going out, outcome', then entered Middle and Modern English with senses including 'offspring' and later 'matter, point, or topic'; the compound 'non-issue' arose in modern English by adding the prefix 'non-' to indicate 'not an issue'.

Originally, 'issue' often referred to an outcome, offspring, or a way out; over time it broadened to mean a matter or topic (often a problem or point of debate). 'Nonissue' therefore came to mean 'something not regarded as a matter for concern' or 'not a problem'.