Crossword Genius

Account about start of month unlikely to decay (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aseptic

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'unlikely to decay' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'account about start of month' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'about' could be 'c' (abbreviation for 'circa') and 'c' is present in the answer.
'month' could be 'sept' (Sept is an example) and 'sept' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ai' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for aseptic that I've seen before include "Sterile" , "Paciest (anag.)" , "avoiding germs" , "Free from bacteria, surically clean" , "Spicate (anag.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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