cupola

[ kyoo-puh-luh ]

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.

cupola

/ 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

cupola

1. A small ornamental structure rising from a roof. Cupolas are often dome shaped.

Derived Forms

• cupolated, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cupola¹

1540–50; < Italian < Latin cūpula, equivalent to cūp ( a ) tub + -ula -ule. cup

Word History and Origins

Origin of cupola¹

C16: from Italian, from Late Latin cūpula a small cask, from Latin cūpa tub

Example Sentences

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

On a post office, I saw a strip of asphalt shingles under a cupola that had a copper roof.

From Seattle Times

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

From Salon

Through the cupola, they have a view of Earth where there are no visible borders.

From Los Angeles Times