'roti' originates from Hindi/Urdu, specifically the word 'roṭī' (रोटी), where it meant 'bread'.

'roṭī' derives from Sanskrit 'rotikā' (or a related form), and the term entered English from Hindi/Urdu during contact in the 18th–19th centuries.

Initially it meant 'bread' in the source languages; in modern English usage it more narrowly denotes the specific Indian unleavened flatbread known as 'roti'.