CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a style sheet language used to describe the presentation and formatting of web documents written in HTML and XML. It allows developers to control layout, design, and appearance of web pages. CSS uses selectors to apply styles to elements based on attributes, class, ID, or position. Properties define styles for elements, and values determine how each element is styled. CSS separates content from presentation, promotes consistent design, and enables flexible and responsive layouts. It was proposed in the mid-1990s as a solution to limited styling in HTML.