ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be overtaken by darkness; get caught by nightfall
Describes a traveler or person who is still on the road when it becomes dark, often with a sense of being stranded or unable to reach the destination before night.
山道で行き暮れて、仕方なく野宿した。
I was overtaken by darkness on the mountain path and had no choice but to sleep outdoors.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant spelling without okurigana.
日が暮れる simply means 'the sun sets' or 'night falls', while 行き暮れる specifically refers to a person being caught by darkness while traveling.
Compound of 行き (continuative form of 行く 'to go') + 暮れる 'to get dark'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination naturally yields the meaning 'to be overtaken by darkness while going'.