Question: what is the difference between defrost and thaw?
Answer: To defrost means simply to release from the frozen state, while to thaw as a transitive verb means to cause to become free from the effects of cold (hardness, stiffness, numbness) through exposure to warmth. So, you defrost a windshield or a refrigerator, but you thaw a chicken, or a steak, or snow when you defrost it.