cupel

C3U1P3E1L1
/ˈkjuːpəl/

noun

A small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead.

Similar
cupellatebone-ash cuprefractory pot
OriginFrench coupelle ← Medieval Latin cūpella ← Latin cūpa →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nouncupel (plural cupels)

plural cupels · alternative obsolete copel · alternative obsolete coppel

  1. A small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead.
verbcupel (third-person singular simple present cupels, present participle (US) cupeling or (UK) cupelling, simple past and past participle (US) cupeled or (UK) cupelled)

present singular third person cupels · US participle present cupeling · UK participle present cupelling · US participle past cupeled · US past cupeled · UK participle past cupelled · UK past cupelled · alternative obsolete copel · alternative obsolete coppel

  1. To refine or assay using a cupel.

    Synonyms: cupellate

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo refine or assay using a cupel.

Similar
cupellate

More synonyms by meaning

nouna small porous bowl made of bone ash used in assaying to separate precious metals from e.g. lead

Similar
bone-ash cuprefractory pot
Broader
vessel
Also see
cupellate

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latincūpa“cask”
  2. Medieval Latincūpella
  3. Frenchcoupelle
  4. Englishcupel

Borrowed from French coupelle, from Medieval Latin cūpella, from Latin cūpa (“cask”) + -ella (“-elle: forming feminine diminutives”). Equivalent to cup + -el.

More words from French, Medieval Latin, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan copel·la, copel·lar
  • copel·laa small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
  • copel·larto refine by means of a cupel
French coupelle
  • coupellea small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
German Treibherd, Probiertiegel
  • Treibherda small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
  • Probiertiegela small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
  • Kupellea small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
Irish cupa
  • cupaa small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
Italian coppella, coppellare
  • coppellaa small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
  • coppellareto refine by means of a cupel
Latin pustulatus, pusulatus
  • pustulatusto refine by means of a cupel
  • pusulatusto refine by means of a cupel
Polish kupela, kupelować
  • kupelaa small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
  • kupelowaćto refine by means of a cupel
Russian тиге́ль
  • тиге́ль (tigélʹ)a small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
Spanish copela
  • copelaa small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
Welsh ciwpel, coethlestr
  • ciwpela small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
  • coethlestra small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
  • llestr coethia small circular receptacle used in assaying gold or silver with lead
  • ciwpeluto refine by means of a cupel

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with cupel

pupiltuplequadruplequintuplescruplepupalduplesouplecentupleoctuplesextupleundecuple
All rhymes →

Anagrams

culpe
Cite this entry
APA

cupel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cupel

MLA

“cupel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cupel. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cupel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cupel.

Source: cupel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.