  The term `$\alpha$-meteoroid' was introduced to describe a group of
micrometeoroids with certain dynamical properties, which -- alongside the group
of the $\beta$-meteoroids -- had been identified by the first generation of
reliable in-situ dust detectors in interplanetary space. In recent years, use
of the term $\alpha$-meteoroid has become more frequent again, under a subtly
but crucially altered definition. This work shall bring attention to the
discrepancy between the term's original and newly established meaning, and
spotlight the now-overlooked group of particles that the term used to describe.
We review past and present pertinent literature around the term
$\alpha$-meteoroid, and assess the dynamics of the originally referred-to
particles with respect to possible sources, showing that their formation is the
expected consequence of collisional grinding of the zodiacal cloud at short
heliocentric distances. The abundance of the original $\alpha$-meteoroids,
which are essentially `bound $\beta$-meteoroids', makes them relevant to all
in-situ dust experiments in the inner solar system. Due to the change of the
term's meaning, however, they are not considered by contemporary studies. The
characterization of this particle population could elucidate the processing of
the innermost zodiacal cloud, and should thus be objective of upcoming in-situ
dust experiments. The attained ambiguity of the term $\alpha$-meteoroid is not
easily resolved, warranting great care and clarity going forward.
