A thermocouple is considered
passive.
Here's why:
A thermocouple works based on the
Seebeck effect, which generates a small voltage (called the thermoelectric voltage) when there is a temperature difference between its two junctions (the hot and cold junctions). This voltage is not generated by an external power source; it is simply a response to the temperature difference.
So, since the thermocouple doesn't require an external power source to operate and just generates a voltage in response to temperature changes, it is
passive in nature. It only measures the temperature difference without supplying power to other devices.