The name Muʿtazili is derived from the reflexive stem VIII (iftaʿala) of the triconsonantal root ع-ز-ل "separate, segregate" (as in iʿtazala "to separate (oneself); to withdraw from" [REF].
The group later referred to themselves as Ahl al-Tawḥīd wa l-ʿAdl (, "people of monotheism and justice", and the name muʿtazili was in origin used by their adversaries.