Word Origin and History for astute Expand adj. 1610s, from Latin astutus crafty, wary, shrewd; sagacious, expert, from astus cunning, cleverness, adroitness, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Greek asty town, a word borrowed into Latin and with an overtone of city sophistication (cf. asteism). Related: Astutely; astuteness.
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.
In computer science, tabula rasa refers to the development of autonomous agents with a mechanism to reason and plan toward their goal, but no built-in knowledge-base of their environment.