noun
A somewhat dated or nostalgic term for a sailor, often associated with Western-style sailors or the image of a sailor in popular culture. In modern Japanese, 船員 (せんいん) or 水夫 (すいふ) are more common for a professional sailor.
from Dutch matroos
港町にはマドロスパイプをくわえた老人がいた。
In the port town, there was an old man with a sailor's pipe in his mouth.
その歌はマドロスの哀愁を歌っている。
That song sings of a sailor's melancholy.