invective
abusive or attacking language
Roots
- in- (against): against or toward in attack
- veh / vect: carry, convey, or drive
Other words with the veh / vect root
- convection: movement carrying heat, air, or fluid
- vector: a quantity with size and direction; a carrier
- vehicle: something that carries people, things, or meaning
Invective is language carried against someone: speech turned into attack.
The debate collapsed into invective instead of answering the actual question.
Vehicle keeps the carry root visible. Invective carries that root into speech: not a car or cart, but words driven against a person with force.