Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Thug

Thug (thug; 277) , noun

[Hind. thag a deceiver, robber.]

1.
One of an association of robbers and murderers in India who practiced murder by stealthy approaches, and from religious motives. They have been nearly exterminated by the British government.
2.
An assassin; a ruffian; a rough.
Thugs and midnight rounders. — The Century