'nonvocal' originates from modern English, formed by the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') combined with 'vocal', which ultimately comes from Latin 'vocalis' from 'vox' meaning 'voice'.

'vocal' changed from Latin 'vocalis' into Old French 'vocal' and then into Middle English 'vocal'; the modern English word 'nonvocal' arose by adding the productive English prefix 'non-' to 'vocal'.

Initially, 'vocal' meant 'pertaining to the voice', so 'nonvocal' originally meant 'not pertaining to the voice'; over time it has come to be used more broadly for 'not producing vocal sound' or 'not expressed by spoken words'.