'nontechnical' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'non-' (from Old English 'nān' meaning 'not') and the base word 'technical' (from French 'technique' and Greek 'technikos'), where 'techne' meant 'art, craft, skill'.

'technical' changed from Greek 'technikos' into Latin 'technicus', then into French 'technique'/'technique', and entered English as 'technical'; the English prefix 'non-' was added to create 'nontechnical' meaning 'not technical'.

Initially related to 'art' or 'skill' (from Greek 'techne'), 'technical' evolved to mean 'relating to specialized methods or knowledge'; 'nontechnical' therefore came to mean 'not involving specialized or technical detail'.