ta|bu|la ra|sa

ta|bu|la ra|sa «TAB yuh luh RAY suh, RAH suh», plural ta|bu|lae ra|sae «TAB yuh lee RAY see, RAH see». Latin.

1. the mind before it is developed and changed by experience: »

The mind for [Locke] is entirely passive, a clean blackboard, tabula rasa, on which the experiences of the individual write their own impressions (Norbert Wiener). No scientist starts with a tabula rasa, a clean slate (George Simpson).

2. (literally) an erased (wax) tablet.