A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

SEMI

Thu, 4 Apr '24
Vehicle with an underride guard
Mon, 26 Feb '24
Match before the final
Sat, 10 Feb '24
One of two in a tournament
Mon, 4 Dec '23
Trucker's ride
Thu, 2 Nov '23
Quarter follower
Thu, 20 Jul '23
Weigh station sight
Fri, 7 Jul '23
One past a quarter
Wed, 14 Jun '23
Not entirely: Prefix
Fri, 30 Dec '22
What comes before a final
Tue, 1 Nov '22
18-wheeler
Sat, 22 Oct '22
Tourney stage
Sun, 4 Sep '22
Highway heavyweight
Sat, 30 Apr '22
Final precursor
Wed, 13 Oct '21
Highway hauler
Sun, 28 Feb '21
Final Four game, e.g.
Thu, 11 Feb '21
Match before the final