CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets, which is a language used to style web pages. It allows web developers to control the layout, design, and appearance of HTML elements on a webpage. CSS works by applying styles to HTML elements, such as fonts, colors, margins, padding, and more. The term "cascading" refers to the ability of CSS to apply multiple styles to an element, with the styles being applied in a specific order or hierarchy. This allows for flexibility and customization in the design of web pages.