expression, godan verb (-u)
recover from an illness; put away one's sickbed
Rare, old-fashioned expression literally meaning 'to clear away the sickbed'. Used when someone recovers from a long illness and can finally put away their bedding. Modern Japanese more often uses 病気が治る or 床を上げる.
See also: 床を上げる
長患いの末、ようやく床を払うことができた。
After a long illness, I was finally able to recover and put away my sickbed.
床を上げる is a more common synonym with the same meaning of recovering from an illness and putting away the sickbed. 床を払う is rarer and more literary.
The expression combines 床 (sickbed) with 払う (to clear away). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it figuratively describes the act of removing the bedding after recovery.