A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

SEAR

Thu, 25 Jan '24
Burn the surface of
Thu, 14 Dec '23
Scorch the surface of
Sat, 26 Aug '23
Cast-iron cooking directive
Fri, 30 Dec '22
Do some branding?
Tue, 25 Oct '22
Scorch on a grill
Wed, 19 Oct '22
Scorch on a stovetop
Thu, 27 Jan '22
Blacken on a grill
Sun, 26 Sep '21
Brown or blacken
Tue, 27 Apr '21
Burn superficially
Mon, 26 Apr '21
Singe
Wed, 14 Apr '21
Burn
Mon, 28 Dec '20
Brown, as a roast