Ionic is the name of one of the three old Greek ways of shaping a stone column. The easy test is the top: an Ionic column has two spiral scrolls, like a pair of ram’s horns or the ends of a rolled paper. Dictionaries sometimes call this style “simply decorated,” and that is fair if you set it next to Corinthian, which is thick with carved leaves — but it is not as plain as Doric, which has almost no decoration at the top. The name comes from the Ionians, Greek people who lived on the west coast of what is now Turkey. It does not come from the chemistry word ion, even though the spelling looks the same on the page. Architects still use Ionic for banks, museums, and grand doorways when they want that old Greek look. You will meet the word in art class and in guides to old buildings, not much in everyday talk.