any of various unleavened, usually whole wheat flatbreads common in South and Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
(in the Caribbean) flatbread wrapped around a filling of usually curried meat, fish, shellfish, or vegetables.
First recorded in 1830–40; from Hindi, Urdu roṭī “bread,” from Prakrit roṭṭa “rice flour”
A roti is a South Asian flatbread made with whole wheat flour. The next time you order your favorite dishes from an Indian restaurant, get some roti too! In India, a roti is also known as a chapati. These tasty round breads are cooked on a flat grill or in a Tandoor oven, and they're often used to scoop up curries and vegetable dishes. Many other cuisines have a variation on the basic roti. In many Caribbean countries, the word can also refer to a popular sandwich made by wrapping a roti around a savory filling. Roti comes from the Sanskrit word roṭikā, or "bread."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dinner at Kabawa in New York’s East Village begins with “buss-up shut,” a flaky Trinidadian flatbread derived from Indian paratha roti.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
Standing in line at Gloria's roti shop, I wasn't the only kid with Trini parents.
From Salon • Jul. 29, 2023
This kind of preparation makes them perfect to eat over basmati rice and roti, the gravy poured over the former or sopped up with the latter.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2023
His surviving livestock — six goats, one cow and a few chickens — stood on one side of the room, while his 10-year old sister, Bakhtawa, cooked roti bread over an open flame.
From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2022
I fixed myself a plate of kardhai chicken and the fresh wheat roti my mother had made minutes earlier.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
