sear

make very hot and dry; “The heat scorched the countryside”

become superficially burned; “my eyebrows singed when I bent over the flames”

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”

cause to wither or parch from exposure to heat; “The sun parched the earth”

(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”