tabula rasa

American  

[tab-yuh-luh rah-suh, -zuh, rey-, tah-boo-lah rah-sah] / ˈtæb jə lə ˈrɑ sə, -zə, ˈreɪ-, ˈtɑ bʊˌlɑ ˈrɑ sɑ /

noun

• tabulae rasae
  plural

1. a mind not yet affected by experiences, impressions, etc.

2. anything existing undisturbed in its original pure state.

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tabula rasa British  

/ ˈtæbjʊlə ˈrɑːsə /

noun

1. (esp in the philosophy of Locke) the mind in its uninformed original state

2. an opportunity for a fresh start; clean slate

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tabula rasa Cultural  

1. Something new, fresh, unmarked, or uninfluenced. Tabula rasa is Latin for “blank slate.”

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Discover More

John Locke believed that a child's mind was a tabula rasa.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tabulae rasae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tabula rasa

First recorded in 1525–35, tabula rasa is from Latin tabula rāsa “scraped tablet, clean slate”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tabula rasa

If the brain started as a true tabula rasa, with no built-in connections, neurons would first need to locate and connect with one another.

From Science Daily ● May 3, 2026

Somewhere inside a tabula rasa passed off as an office space, a diligent worker is rewarded with a five-minute "dance experience."

From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2025

Each of these, Pythagoras to Euclid, could be counted as a tabula rasa.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023

In part, it is how pioneering South Bronx resident groups like Banana Kelly spared their neighborhood from tabula rasa schemes by outside politicians and planners when the neighborhood was burning.

From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2023

But one might draw another inference from the tabula rasa theory.

From Benjamin Franklin Representative selections, with introduction, bibliograpy, and notes by Chester E. Jorgenson