Dictionary Definition
cupola
Noun
1 a vertical cylindrical furnace for melting iron
for casting
2 a roof in the form of a dome
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From etyl it |little tub, from etyl la.Noun
- A dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome.
- A small turret, usually on a hatch of an armoured fighting vehicle.
Translations
architecture: dome-shaped ornamental structure
military: small turret
- Dutch: koepel
Italian
Extensive Definition
In architecture, a cupola or
lantern is a radially symmetrical ornamental structure (often
dome-shaped or quadrilateral) located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a
lookout or to admit light and provide ventilation. The word comes,
through Italian,
from the lower Latin cupula (classical Latin cupella from the Greek
kupellon) small cup (lat. cupa) indicating a vault resembling an
upside down cup.
In some cases, the entire main roof of a tower or
spire can form a single cupola. More frequently, however, the
cupola comprises a smaller structure which sits on top of the main
roof. If the cupola can be reached by climbing a stairway inside the building,
it is referred to as a belvedere
or widow's
walk. Some cupolas, called lanterns, have small windows which
illuminate the areas below.
In the Victorian
architecture, often seen in older homes of Upstate
New York, New Jersey and
northern Pennsylvania,
especially in the Finger Lakes
region, cupolas are often seen as a small room that extends above
the main roof line. They may be square, rectangular, octagonal or
round. In local folklore, they are regarded as
Indian lookouts, but they may have also been created simply to
offer a scenic view, which fits with the other name, belvedere, an
Italian term denoting a fair view.
The term cupola is also often used for a
projection above the roof of a barn, which is primarily there for
ventilation purposes.
External links
- Cupolas in Architecture
- Renovation of clockhouse Cupola c1800.
- Cupola on an old Co-op building
- Caisson cupola
- Just What IS a Cupola Anyway?
- - Some examples in church architecture
cupola in Catalan: Llanternó
cupola in Spanish: Linterna (arquitectura)
cupola in Italian: Lanterna
(architettura)
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
antenna tower, apse, arcade, arcature, arch, arched roof, archway, barbican, belfry, bell tower, camber, campanile, ceilinged roof,
colossus, column, concameration, concha, cove, derrick, dome, fire tower, geodesic dome,
igloo, keystone, lantern, lighthouse, martello, martello tower,
mast, minaret, monument, obelisk, observation tower,
ogive, pagoda, pilaster, pillar, pinnacle, pole, pylon, pyramid, shaft, skewback, skyscraper, span, spire, standpipe, steeple, stupa, television mast, tope, tour, tower, turret, vault, vaulting, voussoir, water tower, windmill
tower