The problem here is not the terminology being used, but your argument. Other people are correct in pointing out that a veteran account is not 'free to play.' In fact, there's already a term for games like this, it's 'buy to play.' This term has been around for a long time and traditionally speaking, games have mostly been B2P. As in, you buy the game and you play it without having to pay additional money in order to keep playing.
Within the last decade, games have made a major shift from this B2P model to what we find today among the F2P, P2P, and P2W models. Some games are still B2P, while many feature two or more modes. For example, SWTOR has all the different pay models: F2P (up to level 50), P2P (sub fee for access to content past level 50), B2P (extra content and features for those who buy the content), and P2W (a cash shop that offers both cosmetic and power items for the game).
Wow is not much different. We have F2P, P2P, and B2P. Veteran accounts are just a new forum of B2P, intended for players who have taken a break from the game but still want to have access to friends and guildies.
So as you can see, the problem isn't the terms, but your understanding of them. I have no problem having a discussion with people and understanding those terms when used. You should probably stop arguing that veterans are F2P.