n o, m. A blind poet : do Lughaidh dailléiges ba sinnsear díbh, Ériu v 84. 33 .

n o, m. n s. éces, éice, Corm. Bodl. s. lethech . in t-eigess , Corm. Y p. 90.25 . g s. ind écis , Metr. Dinds. i 50.67 . ind éicis , Corm. Bodl. s. lethech . n p. ind ecis , Corm. Y, p. 91.7 . ind eiciss , p. ix 27 . and eceis, p. x 22 . an eceis , Dinds. 64 (v.l. in ecis BB. in egsi , Lec.). éigse TD 8.16 (but this may be collect.; cf. éicse). v p. a éicsiu hÉrenn, Ériu vii 220.10 . a ecsiu Fail, ZCP viii 105 y . a éicse Banbha, Metr. Dinds. iv 316.19 . a éicseo (: so) 316 z . a éigse , Keat. ii 1641 . a p. inna heicsiu , Corm. Y p. 93.2 (= inna hexe , p. x 14 . na hexi , p. xv 27 , inna heicsi , Bodl.). lasna hécseo , Metr. Dinds. iii 146.12 . g p. éces LL 128a1 = MacCarthy 166 . eges, Corm. Y p. 91.3 (= écces, p. viii z ). éigeas, TD 3.10 . d p. eicsi, Auraic. 2120 . écsib, Metr. Dinds. iii 104.9 . eixibh, ZCP viii 109.23 . éigsibh, TD 11.15 .

The word may be cognate with (do)-écci, and the original meaning is probably seer (see éicse), but though this would suit the context in many exx. it is commonest in the general sense of scholar, learned man, sage, poet ; often used as an equivalent of fili , but the latter is (in Middle and later Irish, at least) a more specialized term: eces .i. ecmacht-ces .i. ecmacht a ches d[o] airiuc i cetheora rannaib fis filidechta, Corm. Y 538 . fofuair clocenn ind oirci ┐ dobert hi ceist dond filid...tethnæ iarum in t-éces tre tenm laido conepert cáin, etc. cend moga heime inso, Corm. Bodl. s. Mugeme . eraicept na n-eiges (.i. na n-ai gan ches .i. na bfiled), Auraic. 2260 - 3 . la heigius .i. filid, 2794 . drecht d'écsib... cardáis tractad cech cetail, Metr. Dinds. iii 104.9 . laidh... is dir...d'éicsib ocus d'ḟileadaibh d'aisneis, MR 92.4 . éices ocus filid in rig .i. Dub Diad Drai a ainmside, MR 46.5 . écess óenmná `a sibyl' Ériu iv 100 . an t-eigeas, ML 22.13 = an draoi, 20.23 . an t-ord éigius `the bardic order' Ériu ix 164 § 14 . Sitzungsb. Pr. Akad. 1919, 92 § 5 . Studies 1925, 403 . is iomdha leabhar sgríobhtha síos ag éigsibh ar éachtaibh Ḟinn..., Oss. iv 272 .

Of a member of a bardic retinue: in t-eigess di muinthir Senchain, Corm. Y p. 90.25 s. prull (= intecsine, Bodl.). coíca écces a líon cenmotha eixíni, Corm. Y viii z . ni ruc (Senchán) co Guaire acht tri chaegad éceas agus tri chaegad eicsín, Oss. v 38.6 .

As title after npr.: Senc[h]an eices hErenn uili, Corm. Y p. x 16 (= eges, p. 93.3 ). Seanc[h]an eiceas, file agus primhollamh Con[n]acht, Oss. v 32.9 . Torna éces, LU 38a22 . YBL 188b8 . do réir Thorna Éigeas, Keat. ii 5462 .

COMPDS. (a) éices-mac: in t-éigess-mac | dá ngoirthí Daighre Dúanach, Duan. F. p. 10 x . (b) éicsfili: budh iomdha...éigsḟilidh dá riar, Ó Héodhusa, Ir. Monthly 1920, 651 .