tabula rasa

noun, plural ta·bu·lae ra·sae [tab-yuh-lee rah-see, -zee, rey-; Latin tah-boo-lahy rah-sahy] /ˈtæb yəˌli ˈrɑ si, -zi, ˈreɪ-; Latin ˈtɑ bʊˌlaɪ ˈrɑ saɪ/.

1. a mind not yet affected by experiences, impressions, etc.
2. anything existing undisturbed in its original pure state.

noun plural tabulae rasae (ˈtæbjʊliː ˈrɑːsiː)

1. (esp in the philosophy of Locke) the mind in its uninformed original state
2. an opportunity for a fresh start; clean slate

n.1530s, “the mind in its primary state,” from Latin tabula rasa, literally “scraped tablet,” from which writing has been erased, thus ready to be written on again, from tabula (see table) + rasa, fem. past participle of radere “to scrape away, erase” (see raze). A loan-translation of Aristotle’s pinakis agraphos, literally “unwritten tablet” (“De anima,” 7.22). Something new, fresh, unmarked, or uninfluenced. Tabula rasa is Latin for “blank slate.”