cupellation

noun

cu·​pel·​la·​tion ˌkyü-pə-ˈlā-shən 

-ˌpe-

: refinement (as of gold or silver) in a cupel by exposure to high temperature in a blast of air by which the unwanted metals are oxidized

Examples of cupellation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The invention of cupellation some 3,000 years later allowed people to separate silver and gold from impure metals, releasing elements like copper, tin and lead, which became partly vaporized. —Livia Gershon, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2021

As Rossella Tercatin reports for the Jerusalem Post, the team found that bones at the site started showing traces of pollution about 5,000 years ago, around the time people first began refining metals through a process known as cupellation. —Livia Gershon, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Aug. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1691, in the meaning defined above