See caption
Cupola, Belfast City Hall
Wikimedia Commons

A cupola is a small dome on top of a roof, a larger dome, or some other high structure;[1] it may be either circular or polygonal in shape.[2]

The term is a borrowing from Italian, derived from the Latin cūpula, meaning little cask or small vault, and is also used for the revolving dome of an observatory.[3]

References



Bibliography


Clarke, Michael. “Cupola.” The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, Online, Oxford University Press, 2010, https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199569922.001.0001/acref-9780199569922-e-54.
OED. “Cupola, n.” Oxford English Dictionary, Online, Oxford  University Press, 2023, https://www.oed.com/dictionary/cupola_n.
Quiney, Anthony. “Cupola.” The Oxford Companion to Architecture, edited by Patrick Goode, Online, Oxford University Press, 2009, https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198605683.001.0001/acref-9780198605683-e-0337.