English
nonmechanical
Nonmechanical comes from Latin mēchanicus ‘engineer’, from Ancient Greek μηχανικός ‘of or pertaining to machines, mechanical’, and ultimately from μηχανή.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμηχανή1mēkhanḗ‘contrivance, machine, device, gear’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμηχανικός1mēkhanikós‘of or pertaining to machines, mechanical’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmēchanicus1‘engineer’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400mecanique1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mechanic1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mechanical1
- English1500–presentmechanical1
- Englishtodaynonmechanical1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English nonmechanical
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμηχανήWiktionary, English nonmechanicalmēkhanḗ‘contrivance, machine, device, gear’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμηχανικόςWiktionary, English nonmechanicalmēkhanikós‘of or pertaining to machines, mechanical’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmēchanicusWiktionary, English nonmechanical‘engineer’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400mecaniqueWiktionary, English nonmechanical
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mechanicWiktionary, English nonmechanical
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mechanicalWiktionary, English nonmechanical
- English1500–presentmechanicalWiktionary, English nonmechanical
- EnglishtodaynonmechanicalWiktionary, English nonmechanical
A compound of non- + mechanical
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos ‘one’
…
Proto-Germanic *nainaz ‘none, nought, zero’
Proto-West Germanic *nain
Old English nān ‘no, not any’
Middle English non ‘no, not any’
English non-
Ancient Greek μηχανή ‘contrivance, machine, device, gear’
…
Latin mēchanicus ‘mechanic’
Old French mecanique
Middle English mechanic
Middle English mechanical
English mechanical
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- ‘to be able’
may, might, main, yay, mechanism, magician, dismay, mower, mage, magus, yayo, 74 more
through Ancient Greek μηχανή ‘contrivance, machine, device, gear’
through Ancient Greek μηχανικός ‘of or pertaining to machines, mechanical’
through Latin mēchanicus ‘engineer’
through Old French mecanique
through Middle English mechanical
through English mechanical
Today it means
adj Not mechanical.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “nonmechanical”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek μηχανή / nonmechanical