The preceding Axis

• The preceding axis selects all elements that finish before the context node, in reverse document order.

• The preceding axis has no respect for hierarchy. The first time it encounters an element's end tag, or empty element tag, it counts that element.

• For example, consider this rule:

  /descendant::BORN[position()=3]/preceding::*[position()=5]

  This says go to the third BORN element from the root, Louise Pauline Bellau's birthday, <BORN>29 Oct 1868</BORN>, and then move back five elements, not counting any ancestors. This lands on Maria Bellau's SPOUSE element.

• There's no abbreviation for the preceding axis.