It's the word of the day for February 11th.

Today's word is tabula raza, spelled as two words as it would be in Latin, T-A-B-U-L-A-R-A. Tabularaza is a noun. In general use, it refers to something existing in

an original pristine state. In philosophy, tabula-raza refers to the mind in its hypothetical

primary blank or empty state before receiving outside impressions. Here's the word used in a sentence

from Indy Wire. Bella, nay, Victoria, is a living, breathing, tabular rasa, unfettered by societal pressures,

propriety, or niceties. Philosophers have been arguing that babies are born with minds that are essentially blank slates

since the days of Aristotle. Later, some psychologists took up the position as well. English speakers

have called that initial state of mental emptiness, tabula rasa, a term taken from a Latin

phrase that translates as smooth or erased tablet,

since the 16th century. But it wasn't until British philosopher John Locke championed the concept

in his essay concerning human understanding in 1690 that the term gained widespread popularity

in our language. In later years, a figurative

sense of the term emerged, referring to something that exists in an original state and has yet to

be altered by outside forces. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

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