A general term for ferroelastic, ferroelectric, antiferroelectric, ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic transitions in which a suitable driving force switches a ferroic crystal from one orientation state, or domain state, to another.
Source:
PAC, 1994, 66, 577
(Definitions of terms relating to phase transitions of the solid state (IUPAC Recommendations 1994))
on page 582