Mischief, malignity.
1866. Cussedness, meaning wickedness, malignity, and cuss, a sneaking, ill-natured fellow, in such phrases as “He done it out o’ pure cussedness” and “He is a nateral cuss,” have been commonly thought Yankeeisms…. Cursydnesse, in the sense of malignant wickedness, occurs in the Coventry Plays.—J. R. Lowell, Introd. to the ‘Biglow Papers,’ 2nd Series.
1875. The depraved mule rejoices in his heart if he can make some one miserable. It is a trait for which in the West they have a specific term. They call it “pure cussedness.”—S. J. Barrows, ‘The Northwestern Mule and his Driver,’ Atlantic Monthly, xxxv. p. 554/1 (May).
1877. The Constitution is about to be used once more by the Democrats as a screen for “pure cussedness.”—New York Tribune, May 12 (Bartlett).
