upstream

About 4.04 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. adjective In a direction against the flow of a current or stream of fluid (typically water); upriver.
2. adjective Occurring earlier than something else; being an influence on something else; causing a consequence for something else.

   Input entry is upstream of input validation in the runtime process.

3. adjective Involving exploration and pre-production rather than refining and selling.
4. adjective In the direction from the client to the server.
5. adjective Maintained, owned, or associated with the original developers of the given software; in contrast to a modified version downstream.

   The outage was caused by an upstream error in a payments library.

6. adjective Towards the leading end (5′ end) of a DNA molecule.
7. adverb Against the current.
8. verb To stream upward.

Similar words

upriver downstream headwater headwaters downwind upwind upshift above uphill front-end

Often followed by

of from and to in side or end on