A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

MAMA

Fri, 18 Apr '25
Who "can't buy you love" in an Elton John hit
Sun, 9 Mar '25
Call from a crib
Sun, 2 Feb '25
Slumber/party
Wed, 22 Jan '25
Fairy tale bear who apparently liked cold porridge and soft chairs
Sun, 12 Jan '25
Common first word
Sat, 26 Oct '24
"Hound Dog" singer Big ___ Thornton
Sat, 14 Sep '24
Word with the same meaning in English, Swahili and Mandarin, among other languages
Mon, 1 Apr '24
Who "said there'll be days like this," in a 1961 hit
Thu, 7 Mar '24
___ Africa (nickname of singer/activist Miriam Makeba)
Mon, 14 Aug '23
Baby's first word, often
Mon, 26 Jun '23
Storybook bear whose porridge was too cold
Sun, 2 Apr '23
Baby's first word, commonly
Fri, 23 Sep '22
Cry from a doll
Tue, 26 Apr '22
Bahama ___
Mon, 11 Jan '21
One of a baby's first words
Sat, 9 Jan '21
Crib cry