How is “padding” described in the context of CSS?

Padding in CSS is best described as the space between the border of a region and its content. This concept is crucial for controlling the layout and appearance of web elements. When you apply padding to an element, it effectively increases the distance between the content (like text or images) within that element and its border.

For instance, if you have a button with text, increasing the padding will create more space around the text, making it easier to read and more aesthetically pleasing. This is important for design as it helps to enhance the overall user experience by ensuring that content is not cramped within its boundary, allowing for better interaction and readability.

Understanding padding also helps to distinguish it from margins, which are the spaces outside an element, and from other layout properties. This knowledge is fundamental when designing a webpage to ensure elements are visually appealing and appropriately spaced.