'unemblematic' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the prefix 'un-' + the adjective 'emblematic', where 'un-' meant 'not' and 'emblematic' derived from 'emblem' (a symbol).

'emblem' came into English via Middle French 'embleme' and Latin 'emblema', ultimately from Greek 'embélēma' (from the verb 'embállō', meaning 'to throw in' or 'insert'); 'emblematic' developed as an adjective in English and the productive prefix 'un-' was later attached to form 'unemblematic'.

Initially, the Greek 'embélēma' referred to an inlaid ornament or something 'put in'; over time 'emblem' shifted to mean 'symbol', and 'emblematic' to mean 'serving as a symbol'; 'unemblematic' accordingly came to mean 'not symbolic' or 'not representative'.