thaw vs phase transition

thaw and phase transition both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
thaw	Yes	No	Yes	No
phase transition	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, phase transition is a hypernym of thaw; that is, phase transition is a word with a broader meaning than thaw:

thaw: the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
phase transition: a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition

Other hypernyms of thaw include heating, warming, phase change, physical change, state change.

thaw (noun)	phase transition (noun)
a relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile	a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition
warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid

thaw (verb)	phase transition (verb)
become or cause to become soft or liquid