Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

cupola

 - 6 dictionary results

cu⋅po⋅la

[kyoo-puh-luh]
–noun
1. Architecture.
a. a light structure on a dome or roof, serving as a belfry, lantern, or belvedere.
b. a dome, esp. one covering a circular or polygonal area.
2. any of various domelike structures.
3. Metallurgy. a vertical furnace for melting iron to be cast.

Origin:
1540–50; < It < L cūpula, equiv. to cūp(a) tub + -ula -ule. Cf. cup
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cupola
cu·po·la   (kyōō'pə-lə)   
n.  
  1. Architecture

    1. A vaulted roof or ceiling.

    2. A small dome set on a circular or polygonal base or resting on pillars.

    3. A domelike structure surmounting a roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and air.

  2. A cylindrical shaft type of blast furnace used for remelting metals, usually iron, before casting.

  3. A small rounded and domed structure, as for observation, on a tracked, armored vehicle.


[Italian, from Late Latin cūpula, diminutive of Latin cūpa, tub.]
cu'po·laed (-ləd) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

cupola [(kyooh-puh-luh)]

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

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

cupola 
1549, from L. cupula, dim. of cupa "cask, barrel" (see cup).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

cupola cu·po·la (ky&oomacr;'pə-lə)
n.
A cup-shaped or domelike structure.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

cupola

in architecture, small dome, often resembling an overturned cup, placed on a circular, polygonal, or square base or on small pillars or a glassed-in lantern. It is used to crown a turret, roof, or larger dome. The inner vault of a dome is also a cupola.

Learn more about cupola with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see cupola on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: