cupola

American  

[kyoo-puh-luh] / ˈkyu pə lə /

noun

1. Architecture.

   1. a light structure on a dome or roof, serving as a belfry, lantern, or belvedere.

   2. a dome, especially one covering a circular or polygonal area.

2. any of various domelike structures.

3. Metallurgy. a vertical furnace for melting iron to be cast.

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cupola British  

/ ˈkjuːpələ, ˈkjuːpəˌleɪtɪd /

noun

1. a roof or ceiling in the form of a dome

2. a small structure, usually domed, on the top of a roof or dome

3. a protective dome for a gun on a warship

4. a vertical air-blown coke-fired cylindrical furnace in which iron is remelted for casting

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cupola Cultural  

1. A small ornamental structure rising from a roof. Cupolas are often dome shaped.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cupolated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cupola

1540–50; < Italian < Latin cūpula, equivalent to cūp ( a ) tub + -ula -ule. Cf. cup

Explanation

A cupola is a rounded structure on top of a building's roof. Most cupolas have the shape of a dome, or even take the form of a small dome on top of a larger dome. Although the majority of cupolas are dome-shaped, the small, windowed projection on top of a train caboose is also called a cupola. A raised gun turret on a tank is yet another type of cupola, as is a furnace used for refining metal. The word cupola is Italian, from the Late Latin root cupula, "a little tub," a diminutive form of cupa, "cask or barrel."

Example Sentences

The crew visited the flight-hardware Cupola in California before it was shipped to Florida for integration with Dragon Resilience.

From The Verge • Sep. 13, 2021

What was likely a speck of paint chipped multiple layers of the ISS’s Cupola window back in 2016.

From Slate • May 19, 2021

If granted by the state, the marker would be placed along the Indian River at Cupola Park.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2019

I would go into the Cupola, which is this module that I had the privilege of installing in 2010 on a space shuttle flight.

From The Guardian • Nov. 22, 2016

Fassola says that in 1671 the only parts completed were the Choir and Cupola, the whole body of the church being left unfinished.

From Ex Voto by Butler, Samuel