Re: Res: Res: [tied] Reindeer domestication : two origins

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham"
<richard.wordingham@...> wrote:

>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Rick McCallister <gabaroo6958@> wrote:
>
> > In English, "cow" is also used generically as a singular of
> "cattle", regardless of gender
> > not just for female cattle
>
> Only as a last resort.
>

As an aside, what _does_ one call the singular of "cattle" in English?
One can't say "a cattle", nor "an ox" because that's a castrated
male, isn't it, and "a neat" is too archaic and refers only to draught
animals I think, so what is there other than "cow" for the generic
singular? Webster's says this generic use of "cow" is an Americanism,
so what do Britishfolk say?

Andrew