What does CSS stand for in web development?

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets, which is a fundamental technology used in web development to control the presentation of web pages. It allows developers to apply styles, such as colors, fonts, layouts, and spacing, to HTML elements in a flexible and efficient manner.

Cascading Style Sheets enable the separation of content from design, making websites more manageable and easier to maintain. This means that you can change the appearance of multiple pages by modifying just one CSS file, rather than editing each HTML page individually. The "cascading" aspect refers to the way that styles can be applied in a hierarchy, allowing for more specific styles to override more general ones, providing designers with powerful tools to create visually appealing websites.

Understanding the role of CSS is essential for anyone involved in web development, as it plays a critical part in creating a consistent and visually effective user experience across different devices and screen sizes.