puffer

Etymology

puff + -er The cellular automata definition is a clipping of puffer train.

noun

1. Someone or something that puffs.
2. Any of several poisonous fish, of the family Tetraodontidae, which have the ability to inflate their bodies when in danger.
3. A manually-operated inhaler.
4. (dated, childish) A train; a locomotive, usually one that is steam-powered.
5. A Clyde puffer, a kind of small ship.
6. (slang) A car left idling to warm up, emitting steam from the rear.
7. (fashion) An insulated puffy jacket, such as a down jacket.
8. (dated) A person who gives exaggerated praise to a product, literary work, etc.
9. (dated, slang) One who is employed by the owner or seller of goods sold at auction to bid up the price; a by-bidder.
   Cicero in his Offices declares his opinion , that a vendor ought not to appoint a puffer to raise the price 1834, The Law Library
10. (derogatory) An alchemist; so named from their constant attendance to the bellows of their furnaces.
11. The common, or harbour, porpoise.
12. A kier used in dyeing.
13. (glassblowing) A soffietta.
14. (cellular automata) A finite pattern that moves like a spaceship but leaves a trail of debris.
    This is the next best thing, which is a pseudo-puffer made by converting a stream of spaceships into puffer output using several c/3 spaceships. 1993-03-16, David Bell, “Life program (part 2/18)”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)
    Might be interesting to see if the debris from this puffer can be suppressed somehow -- assuming somebody hasn't already done that, but I don't see any sign of previous attempts. 2008-06-25, Dave Greene, “B37/S23 - A Chaotic Universe.”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)
    The switch engine is unstable but a number of them working in combination can form stable puffers, spaceships and rakes. 2015, Paul Rendell, Turing Machine Universality of the Game of Life, page 133