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

Ms. Arcenaux said that she remembered looking down at Earth from the cupola window of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on the second day of her journey.

From New York Times

It features an 11-foot square cupola with windows on each side, and the tip of that is reachable only by ladder.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Seattle Times

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

From Salon