The Spanish word 'roto' meaning 'broken' comes from the Latin past participle 'ruptus', which meant 'broken'. Both of these derive from the Latin verb 'rumpere' meaning 'to break'. The modern Spanish verb 'romper' ('to break') also developed from this same Latin root. This is why 'roto' serves as the past participle of 'romper' in modern Spanish.

The most common related Spanish word is the verb 'romper' meaning 'to break'. When you learn 'roto', it's helpful to remember it's simply the past participle form of 'romper', just like how we say 'El vaso está roto' (The glass is broken) or 'He roto el plato' (I have broken the plate).

Several English words share the same Latin ancestor 'rumpere': 'rupture' (a break or burst), 'interrupt' (to break into or between), 'corrupt' (literally 'to break completely'), 'abrupt' (broken off), and 'bankrupt' (literally 'bench broken', referring to the ancient practice of breaking a merchant's trading bench when they couldn't pay their debts). All these words carry the core meaning of 'breaking' in some form.