cupel
Americannoun
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a small, cuplike, porous container, usually made of bone ash, used in assaying, as for separating gold and silver from lead.
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a receptacle or furnace bottom in which silver is refined.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a refractory pot in which gold or silver is refined
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a small porous bowl made of bone ash in which gold and silver are recovered from a lead button during assaying
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cupel
1595–1605; < Medieval Latin cūpella, equivalent to Latin cūp ( a ) tub + -ella diminutive suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Afterward take the button, place it on a cupel, blow on it till it melts.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius
Now the lead which has absorbed the silver from a metallic ore is consumed in the cupel by the heat in the space of three quarters of an hour.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius
The resulting lead button hammered into shape and carefully cleansed from slag is ready for the cupel.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various
The resulting alloy, which is called the lead button, is then submitted to fusion on a very porous support, made of bone-ash, and called a cupel.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various
The lute, with lead added, should be heated in an earthen crucible, then re-melted in a cupel.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius
The whole lot are then cupelled as nearly as possible under the same conditions.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
These concentrates—mostly galena—were smelted in low furnaces and the lead was subsequently cupelled.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius
In his directions the silver-lead alloy was cupelled and the copper ultimately refined, obviously by oxidation and poling, although he omits the pole.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius
It would be cupelled, parted, &c., as nearly as possible under the same conditions as the actual assays.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
Enough, however, remains to demonstrate that the galena was smelted in small furnaces at low heat, with forced draught, and that it was subsequently cupelled.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius
The determination may also be made by cupelling the button of lead got in the dry lead assay.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
Similarly, cupelling 0.1 gram, the resulting button may be 0.098; the absolute loss is only 0.002 gram, but this equals 2 per cent. of the silver present.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
Silver, &c., in gold bullion.—The base metals are generally determined by cupelling .5 gram of the alloy with 5 grams of lead.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
This property is taken advantage of in the operation of calcining, scorifying, cupelling, &c.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
Loss in Cupellation.—During the whole process of cupelling a silver lead alloy a more or less abundant fume may be observed rising from the cupel.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
