# CSS glossary: Freelancer level

64 CSS terms at the Freelancer level, each with a short definition and a link to its full page.

Updated: September 27, 2026

[Study these as flash cards](https://www.ask-codey.com/decks/css/freelancer)

- [!important](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/important): Makes a declaration beat normal ones regardless of specificity.
- [:has()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/has): Styles an element based on what it contains.
- [:is()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/is): Matches any selector in its list.
- [:not()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/not): Matches elements that don't match the selector inside.
- [:where()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/where-css): Like :is() but with zero specificity, so easy to override.
- [@container](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/container): Writes a container query.
- [@font-face](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/font-face): Names a font and says where to download it.
- [@layer](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/layer): Declares cascade layers or puts rules into one.
- [@scope](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/scope-css): Limits rules to part of the page, with an optional inner boundary.
- [all property](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/all-property): Resets every property of an element at once.
- [Aspect ratio](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/aspect-ratio): Keeps width and height in proportion, like 16/9.
- [Block axis](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/block-axis): The direction paragraphs stack.
- [calc()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/calc): Does math in CSS, even mixing units.
- [Cascade layer](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/cascade-layer): A named group of styles ranked in the cascade, regardless of specificity.
- [Cascade origin](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/cascade-origin): Where a style comes from: browser, user or site.
- [clamp()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/clamp): Keeps a value between a minimum and maximum, flexible in between.
- [Column count](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/column-count): Sets how many columns text flows into.
- [Column span](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/column-span): Makes an element stretch across all the columns.
- [Column width](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/column-width): Sets an ideal column width; the browser fits as many as it can.
- [Container name](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/container-name): Names a query container so queries can target it.
- [Container query](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/container-query): Styles an element based on its container's size, not the screen's.
- [Container query units](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/container-query-units): Units like cqw that measure the container, like vw measures the screen.
- [Container type](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/container-type): Turns an element into a query container.
- [CSS nesting](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/css-nesting): Writing child rules inside a parent rule.
- [Current color](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/current-color): Means "the current text color".
- [Custom font](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/custom-font): A font file your site loads so everyone sees the same typeface.
- [Custom property](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/custom-property): A named, reusable value like --brand-color, read with var().
- [Custom property fallback](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/custom-property-fallback): The backup value in var(), used when the property isn't set.
- [exportparts](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/exportparts): An attribute that exposes selected part names from a nested shadow tree through its host.
- [Fit content](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/fit-content): Sizes to the content, but no larger than the space available.
- [Font fallback](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/font-fallback): The next font in the list, used if the first isn't available.
- [Functional pseudo-class](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/functional-pseudo-class): A pseudo-class that takes selectors in brackets, like :not().
- [inherit](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/inherit): Takes the value from the parent element.
- [initial](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/initial): Resets a property to CSS's built-in default.
- [Inline axis](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/inline-axis): The direction text runs along a line.
- [Intrinsic sizing](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/intrinsic-sizing): Sizing an element by its content rather than a set width.
- [Logical border](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/logical-border): Borders like border-inline-start that follow text direction.
- [Logical margin](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/logical-margin): Margins like margin-inline-start that follow text direction.
- [Logical padding](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/logical-padding): Padding like padding-inline that follows text direction.
- [Logical properties](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/logical-properties): Properties that use start/end instead of left/right.
- [Logical size](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/logical-size): inline-size and block-size: width and height that follow text direction.
- [max()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/max-css): Uses the largest of several values.
- [Maximum content size](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/maximum-content-size): The size content wants with no wrapping.
- [min()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/min-css): Uses the smallest of several values.
- [Minimum content size](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/minimum-content-size): The smallest size without content spilling out.
- [Multi-column layout](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/multi-column-layout): Flows text into newspaper-style columns.
- [Nesting selector](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/nesting-selector): & in nested CSS: stands for the parent selector.
- [part attribute](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/part-attribute): An attribute naming parts inside a shadow tree so external CSS can select them.
- [Query container](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/query-container): An element whose size its contents can query.
- [Relative color](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/relative-color): Builds a new color from an existing one, like a lighter brand color.
- [revert](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/revert): Rolls a property back to the browser's own style.
- [revert-layer](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/revert-layer): Rolls a property back to the previous cascade layer's value.
- [Scoped styles](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/scoped-styles): Styles that only apply inside one part of the page.
- [Scoping proximity](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/scoping-proximity): When scoped rules clash, the closer scope wins.
- [Scroll margin](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/scroll-margin): Leaves space around an element when scrolled to it.
- [Scroll padding](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/scroll-padding): Space inside a scroll area that scrolled-to items stay clear of.
- [Scroll snapping](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/scroll-snapping): Makes scrolling settle neatly on each item.
- [Specificity calculation](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/specificity-calculation): Count ids, then classes, then tags; compare left to right.
- [Style query](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/style-query): Applies styles based on a container's custom property values.
- [Subgrid](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subgrid): Lets a nested grid reuse its parent's rows or columns.
- [unset](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/unset): Inherits if the property normally inherits, otherwise resets.
- [var()](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/var-css): Reads the value of a custom property.
- [Variable font](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/variable-font): One font file holding a whole range of weights and widths.
- [Writing mode](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/writing-mode): Sets which way text flows: across or down.

- Previous level: [Journeyman](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/css/journeyman)
- Next level: [Master](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/css/master)

[Every CSS term, by level](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/css)

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/css/freelancer