non-committal adj.

a prefix used freely in English and meaning "not, lack of," or "sham," giving a negative sense to any word, 14c., from Anglo-French noun-, from Old French non-, from Latin non "not, by no means, not at all, not a," from Old Latin noenum "not one" (*ne oinom, from PIE root *ne- "not" + PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique"). In some cases perhaps from Middle English non "not" (adj.), from Old English nan (see not). "It differs from un- in that it denotes mere negation or absence of the thing or quality, while un- often denotes the opposite of the thing or quality" [Century Dictionary].

1620s, "committing, commission" (of an offense, etc.), from commit + -al (2). Meaning "act of entrusting or giving in charge" is by 1830; that of "action of committing oneself" is from 1835. As an adjective, attested from 1884, apparently a back-formation from non-committal (q.v.).