cotton candy vs candy

cotton candy and candy both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cotton candy	Yes	No	No	No
candy	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, candy is a hypernym of cotton candy; that is, candy is a word with a broader meaning than cotton candy:

cotton candy: a candy made by spinning sugar that has been boiled to a high temperature
candy: a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts

Other hypernyms of cotton candy include confect.

cotton candy (noun)	candy (noun)
a candy made by spinning sugar that has been boiled to a high temperature	a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts

cotton candy (verb)	candy (verb)
	coat with something sweet, such as a hard sugar glaze