Invect
/ɪnˈvɛkt/noun
To inveigh against or attack someone verbally; an archaic verb.
Did you know?Invect is connected to Latin invehi, whose literal sense involved being carried or riding against someone before developing the meaning “to assail with words.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weǵʰ-
“To carry or transport”
Ancient Latin
Latin
vehere
“To carry, convey, or transport”
Classical Latin
Latin
invehi
“To ride or rush against; figuratively, to attack verbally”
Classical Latin
Latin
invectus
“Carried or borne against; the participial stem behind invective language”
16th–17th Century
English
invect
“To inveigh against or verbally attack”
Modern English
English
invect
“An obsolete or rare verb meaning to attack verbally”