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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

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 • Jun. 12, 2024

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

His knees bent; he could feel the sea breeze wrapping itself around the cupola and leaning into it some, setting the frame to creaking cheerily at the familiar nudge.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt