CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a styling language for HTML documents that separates presentation from markup for cleaner code and easier style management. Initially proposed in 1994 and developed through various levels, including CSS3 and CSS2.1, CSS employs modules and selectors to apply styles, manage box models, and utilize cascading rules that prioritize styling declarations. Additionally, CSS includes various positioning schemes and at-rule directives like @import and @media for advanced functionality.