The name
The name Putignano according to the etymology and history
Father Angiulli: Putignano derives from Potyna the Goddess of children adored by the Gentiles and the Greek word Potimos
Nicolò Leonici: in "Varia scripta" he states that it could derive from Petilia who was priestess of Minerva.
Jesuit Father Auria: The name of the city, according to this interpretation, would seem to derive from Puteus insanus and Puteus Janus, which in Hebrew means wine, as many soldiers passing through these lands, tasted the liquid of one of our wells, in fact it was customary in our area keep the must in time of abundance of grapes, just harvested, in the country cisterns.
Other anonymous interpretations affirm that in one case Putignano derives from Potamos (river), to be the castle of Putignano located in the channel that from Lake Idrito, present and represented on a parchment of 1266, leads to Frassineto, an ancient alley destroyed towards the end from 1400, which was located on the way to Gioia del Colle, in another case it is stated that the indigenous people worshiped, as well as the Goddess Potyna, Apollo with the name of Pithunis, in the cave located in Monte Laureto, today dedicated to San Michele .
Prof. Notarnicola: According to what was expressed in his publication "La Cavallerizza della Serenissima in Puglia" the migratory peoples of prehistoric times used to give names of their places of origin to the new lands, so this territory was identified with the name Pytna by a tribe coming from the ancient city of the same name in Crete.
Il Kalefati and Gaetano D’Angora: Both profess an interpretation that leads to say that the name derives from Putei for the large quantity of wells and cisterns present in the territory.
Pietro Fedele Encyclopedic Dictionary: Putignano agglomeration of ancient origin, the Pytna dei Greci and the Putinianum of the Romans
Ermenegildo Laterza: Interpretation that differs from those seen previously. This states that all the toponyms exiting in anus and atico, numerous in all the national territory, including Putignano derives from the personal name and properly the noble name: Potinius, Potinius whose existence is attested with certainty.