Cupola Meaning
/ˈkjuːpələ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome.
nounA small turret, usually on a hatch of an armoured fighting vehicle.
Sentence Examples
This is Africa's Sahara Desert, as seen from the International Space Station's new seven-windowed cupola.
Dutch barns, for instance, had gable roofs — and often a cupola for ventilation.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old church's ____ was visible above the surrounding rooftops from miles away.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
This is Africa's Sahara Desert, as seen from the International Space Station's new seven-windowed ____.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Italian cupola, from Latin cūpula (“little tub”); from Latin cūpa, cuppa (“cup”); named for its resemblance to a cup turned over. Doublet of cupula.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"the light falling dimly through the foggy cupola."
— 1886, Robert Louis Stephenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:
"The stations on the City & South London were small but pretty, with cupolas to accommodate the winding gear of the small and claustrophobic hydraulic lifts."
— 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 101:
"The cupola has a small cylindrical chimney-like bore that is lined with a refractory material."
— 2008, Matthew Stein, When Technology Fails, →ISBN:
"Cast iron produced in a cupola possesses the following advantages : The cost of melting is low. The control of chemical composition is better. Temperature control is easier. Molten metals can be tapped from the cupola at regular intervals."
— 2009, S.K. Garg, Comprehensive Workshop Technology, →ISBN, page 260:
"From each anterior cupola there projects forwards the processus prenasalis lateralis inferior."
— 1937, Sir Gavin De Beer, The Development of the Vertebrate Skull, page 180:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old church's ____ was visible above the surrounding rooftops from miles away.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
This is Africa's Sahara Desert, as seen from the International Space Station's new seven-windowed ____.