'uncommunicative' originates from the prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' and the word 'communicative', which comes from Latin 'communicativus', meaning 'inclined to communicate'.

'communicativus' transformed into the French word 'communicatif', and eventually became the modern English word 'communicative', with 'un-' added to form 'uncommunicative'.

Initially, it meant 'not inclined to communicate', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.