Selgroolülist

Selgroolülist is not a standard term in Estonian anatomical terminology. The usual word for a single vertebra is selgroolüli, and the plural is selgroolülid. The form selgroolülist may appear as a nonstandard inflection, a dialectal variant, or a misspelling, and it is rarely used in formal medical texts. When clarity is required, it is best to use selgroolüli or selgroolülid to refer to vertebrae directly.

The word is built from the roots that denote the spine (selgroo) and a bone segment (lüli). In standard usage, suffixes and case endings are applied to selgroolüli to indicate grammatical role in a sentence, but selgroolülist is not recognized as a conventional standalone noun in contemporary medical references.

Vertebrae are the individual bones that form the vertebral column, which protects the spinal cord, supports the upper body, and enables a wide range of movements. In humans, the typical segmentation includes seven cervical vertebrae (C1–C7), twelve thoracic vertebrae (T1–T12), and five lumbar vertebrae (L1–L5), with the sacral and coccygeal bones usually fused into the sacrum and coccyx. Each vertebra consists of a vertebral body, a vertebral arch, and processes for muscle attachment and articulation with neighboring bones.

Clinical relevance centers on disorders and injuries affecting vertebrae, such as fractures, osteoporosis-related compression, congenital deformities like scoliosis, degenerative changes, and metastatic disease. Accurate terminology is essential in diagnosis and communication; in standard Estonian medical literature, selgroolüli and selgroolülid are preferred over nonstandard forms such as selgroolülist.