Mid 19th century; earliest use found in George Borrow (1803–1881), writer and traveller. From Russian Baba Jaga from baba + jaga Baba Yaga, cognate with Old Church Slavonic jęza illness, Serbian and Croatian jeza fear, terror, (regional) anger, Polish jędza shrew, witch; probably further cognate with Lithuanian engti to torment, oppress, tear, flay, beat, abuse, Old Icelandic ekki lamentation, grief, Old English inca doubt, question, scruple.