terminology - What is the meaning of "cascading' in CSS?

Question

What's the exact meaning of the term "Cascading" in CSS? I am getting different views, so I ask here. An example would help.

Answer 1

"Cascading" in this context means that because more than one stylesheet declaration could apply to a particular piece of HTML, there has to be a known way of determining which specific stylesheet rule applies to which piece of HTML.

The rule used is chosen by cascading down from the more general declarations to the specific rule required. The most specific declaration is chosen.