cupola

IPA/ˈkjuːpələ/
KK[kəpˈolə]IPA/ˈkjuːpələ/

cupola — noun

  • cupolasingular
  • cupolasplural

1. a small, often round little tower that rises from the roof of a building, someti

1.nounC2
Definition

a small, often round little tower that rises from the roof of a building, sometimes letting in light or fresh air, and often added just for decoration.

Example

A white cupola crowned the old church beside the village square.

noun phrase: a cupola crowned [building]

Ayana climbed the narrow stairs to the cupola for a wide view of the harbor.

collocation: climb to the cupola

Common collocations
  • small cupola
  • wooden cupola
  • copper cupola
  • cupola on top of
  • climb the cupola
Synonyms
  • dome

    broader term; a dome is the round roof itself, while a cupola is usually smaller and sits on top of a roof

  • lantern

    in architecture, a small structure on a roof or dome that lets in light — close in meaning to cupola

  • belvedere

    a small rooftop structure built for the view; overlaps when the cupola is used as a lookout

Usage Note

Frequently used in architectural description; subject is typically a church, hall, barn, or palace. Often paired with adjectives of material (wooden, copper, gold) or size (small, tiny).

Common Mistakes

The whole roof was a cupola.
A cupola stood on top of the roof.
a cupola is a small structure ON a roof, not the whole roof itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all describe rounded or raised roof structures, but learners should distinguish them by size and purpose. A dome is the large round roof itself, often covering a whole hall, church, or government building (think of the United States Capitol). A cupola is much smaller and sits on top of a roof or on top of a dome, often to add decoration or to let in light — you would never call the main roof of a cathedral a cupola. A lantern, in architecture, is a small windowed structure on a roof that brings daylight into the space below, and many cupolas function as lanterns. A belvedere is built mainly for the view; people can stand inside it and look out, so the rooftop room on an Italian villa is a belvedere, while the small white tower on a barn is a cupola.

cupola ↗dome ↗lantern ↗belvedere ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a cupola crowns the building
  • climb up to the cupola

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinLate LatinItalianEnglish

From Italian 'cupola', meaning 'small cask' or 'small dome', which came from Late Latin 'cupula', a tiny form of Latin 'cupa' meaning 'tub' or 'cask'. The image is a small upside-down cup or bowl sitting on a roof. The word entered English in the early 1500s through architectural writing about Italian buildings.