tabula rasa

[tab-yuh-luh rah-suh, -zuh, rey-, tah-boo-lah rah-sah]

noun

plural

tabulae rasae 

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

2. anything existing undisturbed in its original pure state.

tabula rasa

/ 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

tabula rasa

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tabula rasa¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tabula rasa¹

Latin: a scraped tablet (one from which the writing has been erased)

Example Sentences

The conceptual idea around this is that it’s growing out of something, as opposed to tabula rasa, a new building.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Salon

Her desire for a global tabula rasa outstrips that of even the most fanatical Red Guards, who still dominate her mental landscape.

From New York Times

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

From Washington Post

“There is a myth of flexibility, and galleries expect to have a tabula rasa,” Gluckman said in a phone interview.

From New York Times