Should I lightly boil or steam meat (eg, beef) before searing?
Yes, but I don't know if there's an official name for it. We do this a lot in pressure cooking, to get the appealing mallard reactions (caramelization). Typically, after cooking you can put the meat under the broiler to crisp it up (common examples are a whole chicken or carnitas).

Example recipe for Carnitas: https://callhimyeschef.com/2013/02/19/carnitas-under-pressure/