Definition of Old south arabian

Old South Arabian (or Epigraphic South Arabian) is the term used for four closely related languages spoken in the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. These languages are distinct from Classical Arabic. The four languages are Sabaean, Minaean, Qatabanian, and Hadramautic. Together with Ethiopian Semitic languages (such as the contemporary Ge'ez language) and the Modern South Arabian languages (not descended from Old South Arabian but from a sister language), they form the western branch of the South Semitic languages.