cupola

/ˈkupələ/

/ˈkupələ/

Other forms: cupolas

A cupola is a rounded structure on top of a building's roof. Most cupolas have the shape of a dome, or even take the form of a small dome on top of a larger dome.

Although the majority of cupolas are dome-shaped, the small, windowed projection on top of a train caboose is also called a cupola. A raised gun turret on a tank is yet another type of cupola, as is a furnace used for refining metal. The word cupola is Italian, from the Late Latin root cupula, "a little tub," a diminutive form of cupa, "cask or barrel."

Definitions of cupola

1. noun

   a roof in the form of a dome
   type of:

   dome

   a hemispherical roof
2. noun

   a vertical cylindrical furnace for melting iron for casting
   type of:

   furnace

   an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc.