'tandoor' originates from Hindi/Urdu, specifically the word 'tandoor' (also rendered 'tanūr'), where 'tanūr' meant 'oven'.

'tandoor' changed from Persian 'tanūr' and Arabic 'tannūr', which ultimately trace back to Akkadian 'tinūru'; the term entered English via Hindi/Urdu to refer to the regional clay oven.

Initially, it meant 'oven' (a clay or earthen oven), and over time the meaning has remained largely the same but has become associated specifically with the cylindrical clay ovens used for baking breads and roasting meats in South and Central Asia and the Middle East.