Thug
Etymology
From Hindi and Marathi ṭhag (“cheat, swindler”), from Sanskrit sthaga (“cunning, one who conceals”). The Thugs, or Thuggee, were bands accused of robbing and strangling travelers across India; British suppression campaigns in the 1830s made the word notorious, and it broadened into any violent criminal.
noun · /THUG/
A brutal or violent person, especially one who intimidates others.
What it names
The figure of physical menace — the enforcer or bully whose currency is force and fear.
Example
The landlord sent a couple of thugs to lean on tenants who were late with rent.
Related idea
A criminal breaks the law in any fashion; thug specifically evokes brute physical menace and intimidation.