tabula rasa

American  

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

noun

plural

tabulae rasae

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.

Etymology

Origin of tabula rasa

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

Example Sentences

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 the 17th century John Locke rejected this idea, insisting that the human mind begins as a tabula rasa, or blank slate, with almost all knowledge acquired through experience.

From Scientific American • Mar. 7, 2023

As to Peter’s tabula rasa, it gets back to what I was saying earlier about how the MCU has done such a fine job of establishing him as a kid with a hero’s heart.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2021

Actually it is a tabula rasa, an empty slate, a blank paper.

From A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy by Husik, Isaac