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In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped or quadrilateral-shaped ornamental structure 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.