sear in WordNet English dictionary

1. burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color
   "The cook blackened the chicken breast"; "The fire charred the ceiling above the mantelpiece"; "the flames scorched the ceiling"
   char  blacken  sear  scorch 
   
2. cause to wither or parch from exposure to heat
   "The sun parched the earth"
   parch  sear 
   
3. make very hot and dry
   "The heat scorched the countryside"
   sear  scorch 
   
4. become superficially burned
   "my eyebrows singed when I bent over the flames"
   scorch  sear  singe 
   

1. (used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture
   "dried-up grass"; "the desert was edged with sere vegetation"; "shriveled leaves on the unwatered seedlings"; "withered vines"
   dried-up  sere  sear  shriveled  shrivelled  withered