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

• 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

A look at Dragon’s Cupola, which will provide our Inspiration4 astronauts with incredible views of Earth from orbit!

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

So I ran down to the Cupola, I did the Vulcan salute, I took a picture, and I tweeted it.

From The Guardian • Nov. 22, 2016

His labours in the Cupola of S. Abbondio, before-mentioned, were on a magnificent scale, though designed from Giulio Campi.

From The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. IV (of 6) from the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth Century by Lanzi, Luigi Antonio