Electronic Component

An electronic component is a basic electronic element usually packaged in a discrete form with two or more connecting leads or metallic pads. Components are intended to be connected together, usually by soldering to a printed circuit board, to create an electronic circuit with a particular function (for example an amplifier, radio receiver, or oscillator). Components may be packaged singly (resistor, capacitor, transistor, diode etc.) or in more or less complex groups as integrated circuits (operational amplifier, resistor array, logic gate etc.)

Components
Very often electronic components are mechanically stabilized, improved in insulation properties and protected from environmental influence by being enclosed in synthetic resin

Components may be passive or active:

Passive components are those that do not have gain or directionality. In network analysis they are called electrical elements.
Active components are those that have gain or directionality, in contrast to passive components, which have neither. They include semiconductor devices and vacuum tubes (valves).