tabula rasa

tab·u·la ra·sa  (tby-l räs, -z)

n. pl. tab·u·lae ra·sae (tby-l räs, -z)

1.

a. The mind before it receives the impressions gained from experience.

b. The unformed, featureless mind in the philosophy of John Locke.

2. A need or an opportunity to start from the beginning.

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[Medieval Latin tabula rsa : Latin tabula, tablet + Latin rsa, feminine of rsus, erased.]

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tabula rasa [ˈtæbjʊlə ˈrɑːsə]

n pl tabulae rasae [ˈtæbjʊliː ˈrɑːsiː]

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

2. an opportunity for a fresh start; clean slate

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

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	tabula rasa - a young mind not yet affected by experience (according to John Locke) mind, psyche, nous, brain, head - that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason; "his mind wandered"; "I couldn't get his words out of my head"
	2.	tabula rasa - an opportunity to start over without prejudice clean slate, fresh start chance, opportunity - a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances; "the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington"; "now is your chance"