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. cup

Example Sentences

“They are still in power. The cupola is intact. But they don’t sleep at night.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

I knew the copper washing off the cupola roof was protecting the shingles but didn’t know why.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024

You capture the beauty looking out of the cupola, but also the claustrophobia of an I.S.S. “bedroom.”

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2024

Its three spectacular bedrooms, one in a former chapel under a cupola, is imagined, the hotel managers say, as a Roman refuge for Arab sheikhs, Harry and Meghan, and Hollywood royalty.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2023

One chilly September morning, Oksi flew above Delhi, circling old haunts—the bridge, the cupola, and Frightful’s Mountain.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George