cupola
noun
cu·po·la ˈkyü-pə-lə 
1
a
: a rounded vault resting on a usually circular base and forming a roof or a ceiling
b
: a small structure built on top of a roof
2
: a vertical cylindrical furnace for melting iron in the foundry that has tuyeres and tapping spouts near the bottom
3
: a raised observation post in the roof of a railroad caboose
cupolaed
ˈkyü-pə-ləd
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Last fall, there was an outcry from preservationists and the city’s Frog Hollow neighborhood when the hospital sought approval to demolish the distinctive, 3-story structure topped with a copper cupola to make way for the upgrade. 
Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2022 The glass cupola lighthouse offered a picturesque view of Plaza del Congreso and the Argentine parliament building below. Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2022 Preserving the best of the old—lime-washed brick, shiplap siding, a charming cupola—Blackband brought in the new. Sally Finder Weepie, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2022 The room was filled with a cloud of dust, created when the thin cupola of the California Hotel next door fell through the roof of the firehouse and tore through the floors below. Gary Kamiya, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Apr. 2022 The walls of the towering cupola featured scenes from the triumphs of Alexander the Great. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2022 Visitors can climb to the top of the glass cupola lighthouse and peer down on the picturesque view of Plaza del Congreso and the Argentine parliament building. Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2022 Since Inspiration4 is not going to the space station, SpaceX removed the docking collar at the nose of the Dragon and replaced it with a transparent cupola—the largest window ever built for space, and which should make for breathtaking sightseeing. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 16 Sep. 2021 Hayley Arceneaux and Inspiration4 commander Jared Isaacman take in the view from 365 miles up inside a transparent observation cupola attached to the nose of their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. William Harwood, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2021 See More
Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2022 The glass cupola lighthouse offered a picturesque view of Plaza del Congreso and the Argentine parliament building below. Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2022 Preserving the best of the old—lime-washed brick, shiplap siding, a charming cupola—Blackband brought in the new. Sally Finder Weepie, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2022 The room was filled with a cloud of dust, created when the thin cupola of the California Hotel next door fell through the roof of the firehouse and tore through the floors below. Gary Kamiya, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Apr. 2022 The walls of the towering cupola featured scenes from the triumphs of Alexander the Great. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2022 Visitors can climb to the top of the glass cupola lighthouse and peer down on the picturesque view of Plaza del Congreso and the Argentine parliament building. Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2022 Since Inspiration4 is not going to the space station, SpaceX removed the docking collar at the nose of the Dragon and replaced it with a transparent cupola—the largest window ever built for space, and which should make for breathtaking sightseeing. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 16 Sep. 2021 Hayley Arceneaux and Inspiration4 commander Jared Isaacman take in the view from 365 miles up inside a transparent observation cupola attached to the nose of their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. William Harwood, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Italian, from Latin cupula, diminutive of cupa tub
First Known Use
1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
cupola
noun
cu·po·la ˈkyü-pə-lə
1
: a small structure built on top of a roof
2
: a rounded roof or ceiling : dome